^N,  of  Vfince^ 


.^-' 


^IokM%^^ 


3V  4423  .M4  1889 
Meyer,  Lucy  Ride 
1922. 


r,  1849 


Deaconesses 


Biblical,  earl' 


VISITING   DEACONESSES. 

FROM    THE   CHICAGO    HOME. 


*"  For    Jesus''    Sake 


DEACONESSES, 

BIBLICAL,   EARLY  CHURCH,   EUROPEAN, 
AMERICAN, 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CHICAGO  TRAINING  SCHOOL, 
For  City,  Home  and  Foreign  Missions, 


THE  CHICAGO  DEACONESS  HOME. 


By  Lucy  Rider  Meyer. 


PUBLISHED   BY 

THE  MESSAGE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 
114  Dearborn  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1889,  by 
LUCY  RIDER  MEYER. 


AUTHOR'S    INTRODUCTION, 


"/  believed'' — 

That  people  wanted  to  know  about  Deaconesses, 
That  the  Cause  I  love  would  be  advanced, 
That  especially,   strong   and    earnest    young   women 
might  be  induced  to  enter  this  most  self-sacrific- 
ing, yet  most  attractive  work, 
That  God  would  be  glorified, 

— '•^Therefore  have  I  spoken'* 

Ps.  cxvi :  lo. 


MISS  WILLARD'S  INTRODUCTION. 


Wendell  Phillips  had  a  famous  lecture  on  "  the  Lost 
Arts  "  but  in  it  did  not  include  that  greatest  of  lost  arts  in 
the  religious  world — viz :  the  work  of  Deaconesses.  That 
the  Church  could  ever  have  fallen  away  from  an  applica- 
tion of  Christianity  so  helpful,  comforting  and  blessed, 
having  enjoyed  it  once,  furnishes  proof  sadly  significant 
of  the  human  alloy  that  so  grievously  (dis)tempers  its  gold. 

No  action  more  fully  freighted  with  hope  for  humanity 
gilds  the  sunset  glories  of  the  Nineteenth  Century,  than  the 
re-establishment  of  the  order  of  Deaconesses  in  almost 
every  branch  of  the  Church  Universal. 

She  spoke  of  justice,  truth  and  love, 

How  soft  her  words  distilled; 
She  spoke  of  God  and  all  the  place 

Was  with  His  presence  filled. 

Of  how  many  a  sweet  soul  within  our  borders  those 
words  are  true !  What  hindereth  that  they  be  set  apart 
with  every  guarantee  and  safeguard  tnat  can  emphasize 
their  gospel  ministry?  What  a  practical  element  these 
Deaconesses  would  introduce  into  religion. 


The  Chicago  Training  School  for  Missionaries  sug- 
gests wide  possibihties  to  young  women  who  would 
prepare  themselves  for  the  sacred  ministries  now  open  to 
them,  and  my  friend,  Lucy  Rider  Meyer,  is  as  much 
raised  up  to  pioneer  the  way  for  these,  her  younger  sisters^ 
as  ever  Phebe  was  to  help  the  Church  at  Cenchrea. 

May  she  be  abundantly  blessed  in  this  great  under- 
taking and  may  her  book  be  a  beacon  light  to  many  an 
earnest  but  perplexed  young  soul,  is  the  prayer  of 

Frances  E.  Willard. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PART  I. 
DEACONESSES. 

CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I     Deaconesses  OF  THE  Bible,  .  .11 

II     Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church,     .  21 

III  Deaconesses  of  the  Times  of  the  Refor- 

mation, .  .  .  .28 

IV  Deaconesses  of  Modern  Europe,         .  31 
V     Deaconesses  of  America,    .            .            ,44 

PART  II. 

STORY  OF  THE  CHICAGO  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

VI     Anticipation,  .  .  .  .49 

VII     Our  Own  Hired  House,  .  .  69 

VIII     A  Cottage  in  this  Wilderness,      .  .        93 

PART   III. 

STORY  OF  THE  CHICAGO  DEACONESS  HOME. 

IX  The  Beginning,       ....  107 

X  The  Peripatetic  Contribution  Box,    .  128 

XI  The  Do-Without  Band,       .  .  .  139 

XII  To  the  Present  Day,     .  .  .  147 


Part  I. 


DEACONESSES. 


The  Lord  giveth  the  word;  the  women  that  publish  the  tidings 
are  a  great  host. — Ps.  Lxviii  :  ii.    (Revised  Version.) 

I  commend  unto  you,  Phoebe,  our   sister,    a   Deaconess   of   the 
Church. — Romans  xvi  :  i. 


CHAPTER  I. 

DEACONESSES   OF   THE    BIBLE. 

The  Greek  word  Diakonos — of  which  the  English 
word  Deaconess  is  the  translation — has  at  heart  the 
meaning,  prompt  aiid  helpful  service.  The  founda- 
tion thought  being,  thus,  that  of  help,  the  idea  may- 
be traced  back  to  the  second  chapter  of  Genesis, 
in  which  woman  is  called  by  that  noblest  of  titles, 
a  Help.  That  we  do  not  find  women  actually  organ- 
ized for  helping,  in  Old  Testament  times,  may  be 
accounted  for  partly  by  the  fact  that  it  was  not  an 
age  of  organizing,  but  more  by  the  complete  absorp- 
tion of  the  women  and  children  in  the  family,  among 
the  Jews,  as  among  all  Oriental  peoples.  It  was  not 
until  the  time  of  Christ  that  women  and  children 
were  recognized  as  separate  and  independent  enti- 
ties. Indeed,  it  was  the  light  that  Christ  brought 
that  made  possible  such  a  recognition.  Before  this 
time  they  were  but  parts,  and  inferior  parts  at  that, 
of  the  husband  and  father.  He  was  the  unit.  In 
almost  all  nations  absolute  power  over  them  rested 
in  his  hands,  and  unquestioning  submission  was  their 
highest  merit.  But  the  coming  of  Christ  brought  to 
light  the   great   principle  of  individual    rights    and 


12  Deaconesses. 

individual  responsibilities,  and  very  soon  we  find 
room  for  legitimate  exceptions  to  the  general  law  of 
the  family  life.  Paul,  in  Second  Corinthians,  recog- 
nizes the  possibility,  under  conditions  existing  at 
that  time,  of  a  woman's  not  being  in  the  ordinary 
line  of  family  life,  and  very  soon  we  find,  in  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  early  church,  which  carefully  util- 
ized every  particle  of  its  power,  traces  of  an  organ- 
ization for  stimulating  and  systematizing  the  religi- 
ous work  of  such  women.  With  the  recognition  of 
woman's  responsibihties  came  the  recognition  of  her 
possibilities. 

In  studying  the  life  of  Christ  we  cannot  but  be 
impressed  with  the  large  number  of  ministering 
women  mentioned.  First  there  was  the  little  com- 
pany that  gathered  around  our  Savior,  accompanied 
Him  in  His  later  journeys  and  supplied  the  personal 
wants  of  the  One  "who  was  rich,  but  for  our  sakes 
became  poor.  "  Who  does  not  remember  Joanna,  the 
wife  of  Herod's  steward,  and  the  Marys — the  "Mary 
blessed  above  women,"  His  mother — Mary  of  Mag- 
dala — Mary,  the  wife  of  Clopas?  Who  does  not  think 
of  Mary  and  Martha  in  the  home  at  Bethany,  and 
of  the  un-named  women,  whose  quick  and  bound- 
less hospitality  kept  the  infant  Church  from  scat- 
tering, and  at  whose  hands  the  believers  "broke 
bread  from  house  to  house,"  after  the  Pentecostal 
baptism? 


Deaconesses  of  the  Bible.  13 

In  our  book  of  apostolic  church  history,  The 
Acts,  we  find  Dorcas,  Lydia  and  Priscilla,  and 
Phihp's  four  daughters.  In  connection  with  Paul's 
work — and  Paul  was  the  great  organizer  of  the  early 
church — the  activity  of  women  is  constantly  recog- 
nized. Phoebe  and  Mary  and  Junia  are  mentioned 
by  him  with  affectionate  regard;  also  Tryphena  and 
Tryphosa,  who  "labored  in  the  Lord,"  Persis,  who 
"labored  much  in  the  Lord,"  and  the  un-named 
mother  of  Rufas,  whom  Paul,  with  beautiful  cour- 
tesy, called  his  mother,  also.  All  these,  and  others 
are  mentioned  in  a  single  chapter.  What  the  exact 
position  of  all  these  women  was,  our  present  infor- 
mation does  not  permit  us  to  decide.  The  first 
Deaconess,  called  by  that  name,  Diakonos^  is 
Phoebe.  Nearly  all  the  authorities  agree  that  the 
proper  translation  of  the  celebrated  passage,  Romans 
xvi: I ,  should  be  "Phoebe    .  .     a  Deaconess,"  in- 

stead of  "Phoebe  .  .  .  a  servant."  The  revisers  of 
the  New  Testament  struggled  with  their  conservatism 
in  vain,  and  retained  the  word  "servant"  in  the 
text,  but  they  have  done  Phoebe  the  half  justice  of 
calling  her  what  Paul  called  her,  "Deaconess,"  in 
the  margin.  Paul  seems  to  have  been  less  afraid 
that  poor  Phoebe  would  become  puffed  up  if  called 
by  any  other  name  than  servant — a  name  which, 
beautiful  enough  in  itself,  is  yet  obscured  by  the 
technical     meaning     modern    usage     has   given    it. 


14  Deacojiesses. 

Notice  the  cordiality  with  which  Paul  speaks  of 
Phoebe.  "I  command  unto  thee,  Phoebe,  a  Diak- 
011071  of  the  church  which  is  at  Cenchrea,  that  ye  re- 
ceive her  in  the  Lord,  and  that  ye  assist  her  in 
whatsoever  business  she  hath  need  of  you,  for  she 
hath  been  a  succorer  of  many  and  of  myself  also." 
The  word  translated  succorer — prostatis — corre- 
sponds to  our  word  "president,"  and  the  veriest 
tyro  in  the  derivation  of  words  knows  that  that 
means  a  fore-standing — fore-sitting  man,  one  who 
sits  or  stands  in  the  front  of  things  to  direct  and 
control.  Such  was  Phoebe  in  the  church,  and  such 
was  she  among  the  Deaconesses  of  the  church,  for 
there  were  probably  others  in  that  church.  Notice 
she  is  called  not  the  Deaconess,  the  only  one,  but  a 
Deaconess.  The  fact  of  her  traveling,  probably 
alone,  and  of  her  being  certainly  the  bearer  of  this 
important  letter,  in  the  journey  from  Cenchrea  to 
Rome,  speaks  well  for  her  character  and  bravery. 
And  her  business  too — is  it  not  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose, since  the  church  is  urged  to  help  her  on  with 
it,  that  it  was  church  business?  Cenchrea  was  a 
suburb  of  the  great  City  of  Corinth,  one  of  its  two 
ports,  and  was  filled  with  rough  sailors,  very  differ- 
ent in  its  social  character  from  the  wealthy  and  lux- 
urious city  near.  We  should  call  it  a  mission  field 
in  our  days.  But  Christianity,  true  to  its  mission, 
plants  a  church  here  as  well  as  in  Corinth,  and  in 


Deaconesses  of  tJic  Bible.  15 

that  church  the  ministry  of  woman  is  specially  prom- 
inent. How  reasonable  and  full  of  common  sense! 
Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  women 
spoken  of  in  Paul's  first  Epistle  to  Timothy,  the 
third  chapter.  In  the  first  of  this  chapter,  to  the 
fourteenth  verse,  Paul  is  describing  the  general 
character  that  should  pertain  to  Bishops  and  Dea- 
cons. The  eleventh  verse  in  our  common  version 
reads,  "Even  so  must  their  wives  [Deacon's  wives, 
presumably],  be  grave,"  etc.,  but  any  careful  stud- 
ent will  be  struck  with  the  fact  that  tiie  their  is  in 
italics.  It  was  supplied  by  the  translators.  The 
Greek  word  here  \<=>  gtine — woman.  It  might  mean 
wife,  but  not  necessarily  or  even  primarily  so.  The 
Revised  Version  puts  a  new  phase  on  the  matter  by 
rendering  the  words:  "Women  in  like  manner  must 
be  grave,"  etc.  There  is  no  intimation  that  the 
women  spoken  of  are  the  feminine  complements  of 
the  Deacons,  their  wives;  on  the  contrary,  there  is 
strong  reason  to  believe  that  they  are  the  feminine 
counterparts  of  Deacons,  Deaconesses.  The  same 
introductory  adverb,  hosaictos,  ushers  in  the  des- 
cription of  both  classes,  the  "Deacons"  of  verse 
eight,  and  the  "women"  of  verse  eleven.  The  force 
of  this  coincidence  is  quite  lost  in  the  authorized 
version.  In  verse  eight  it  is  translated:  '' Likeivise 
the  Deacons."  In  verse  eleven,  ''Even  so  their 
wives."     Moreover,  if  they  were  only  women  in  pri- 


16  Deaconesses. 

vate  life,  why  are  they  mentioned  at  all,  and  why  is 
their  character  pictured  here  with  that  of  the 
Bishops  and  Deacons?  For  that  matter  why  are 
not  the  wives  of  the  Bishops  exhorted  as  well  as  the 
wives  of  Deacons?  Chrysostum  says  of  this  passage, 
it  means  not  women  in  general,  but  Deaconesses. 
Jerome  translates  it  ''mulieres  similiter' — similar 
women,  and  Wycliffe,  a  thousand  years  later,  trans- 
lated it  quaintly:  "Also  it  bihoveth  wymnten  to  be 
chaste," etc.*  The  more  we  study  this  passage,  the 
more  sure  we  may  be  they  were  not  ordinary 
private  women,  but  the  women  of  the  church,  in 
which  case  all  is  plain.  Paul,  in  giving  the  char- 
acter of  the  Deacons,  would  next  most  naturally 
speak  of  the  Deaconesses.  We  have  a  use  of  words 
very  similar  to  this  in  that  curious  bit  of  ecclesias- 
tical legislation  among  the  Puritans  in  the  sixteenth 
century:  "By  Deacons  of  both  sorts,  viz.:  Men 
and  women,  shall  the  church  be  admonished." 

Whether  the  widows,  mentioned  in  the  fifth  chap- 
ter ninth  verse  of  this  same  letter  to  Timothy,  were 
Deaconesses  or  not,  we  cannot  fully  decide.  The 
marginal  note  attached  to  the  following  verse,  twelfth, 
— preferred  by  the  American  revisers — would  seem 
to  indicate  it.  According  to  this  reading,  these 
women  are  spoken  of  as  possibly  having  condemna- 
tion, because  they  rejected  their  "  first  pledge,"  in- 

*Quoted  by  J.  M.  Ludlow. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Bible.  17 

stead  of  their  "  first  faith."  It  seems  reasonable  to 
me,  that  they  were  women  having  official  position  in 
the  church,  and  that  there  ought  to  be  a  decided 
break  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  verses — for  one 
can  hardly  believe  that  these  widows  were  the  same 
as  those  mentioned  in  the  verses  above,  evidently 
supported  by  the  church.  Surely  a  widow  might 
have  been  entitled  to  support  in  the  Christian  church 
whether  she  had  "  brought  up  children  "  or  not;  also 
whether  she  were  three  score  years  old  or  not,  if  only 
she  was  destitute  and  needed  help.  But  the  widows 
to  be  "  taken  into  the  number,"  are  Hmited  by  re- 
strictions most  unlikely  to  occur  in  a  person  now  to 
be  supported  by  charity.  She  must  have  been  the 
wife  of  one  man,  "  well  reported  of  for  good  works," 
and  having  used  hospitality  to  strangers,  implying 
a  home  and  considerable  riches.  She  must  have 
"  washed  the  saint's  feet,"  a  mark  of  gracious  con- 
descention  on  the  part  of  one  of  high  estate.  More- 
over, she  must  have  brought  up  children.  How 
unlikely  that  an  aged  woman  of  this  description 
should  now  be  without  money,  children  or  "  neph- 
ews," or  "any  man  or  woman  that  believeth,"  to  sup- 
port her.*  It  is  exactly  such  women,  however,  who 
were  at  first  deemed  eligible  to  the  diakonate.  The 
custom  of  the  church  in  the  second  and  third  cen- 
turies, when  the  Order  was  well  known,  makes  this 


*Dr.  A.  T.  McGill,  in  "Deaconesses."    Presbyterian  Review,  iSSo. 


18  Deaconesses. 

certain,  and  increases  the  probability — where  it  was 
not  expressly  so  stated — that  the  Church  at  least  un- 
derstood Paul's  allusion  to  be  to  Deaconesses.  The 
Bishops  and  authorities  insisted  at  first  that  the  age  of 
admission  be  sixty  years,  only  yielding  slowly  to  an 
earlier  age,  first  forty  and  then  less.  But  some  of 
them,  notably  TertuUian,  vigorously  condemned  any 
deviation  from  the  scriptural  rule  of  sixty  years  and 
literal  widowhood.  This,  what  seems  to  us  slavish, 
adherence  to  the  text  concerning  literal  widowhood, 
caused  a  curious  anomaly  among  the  large  number 
*  of  Deaconesses  in  the  early  church.  There  were  many 
who  had  never  been  married,  and  in  some  places,  at 
least,  while  all  were  called  Widows,  those  who  had 
never  been  married  were  given  the  ridiculous  title 
of  Virgin-widow.  One  of  the  causes  that  led  to  the 
decline  of  the  Order,  was  the  fact  that  Deaconesses 
were  obliged  to  live  in  Widow's  Homes,  were  forbid- 
den to  marry,  and  their  lives  became  morbid  and 
unnatural.  As  the  obloquy  attaching  to  marriage 
on  the  part  of  Deaconesses  increased,  less  women 
were  willing  to  enter  the  Order,  and  those  who  did, 
were  more  and  more  secluded  by  rules  and  vows  and 
high  walls — in  short  they  gradually  became  nuns. 

A  curious  variation  of  the  old  and  valuable 
Arabic  version,*  seems  also  to  indicate  that  the 
"  number  " — "Admitted  to  the  number  " — of  verse 


♦Mentioned  by  Dr.  McGill. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Bible.  19 

nine,  refers  to  the  number  of  Deaconesses.  In  that 
version  the  verse  is  introduced  by  "  If  a  widow  be 
chosen  a  Deacon."  Moreover  the  verb  katalegesthd, 
"  enrolled,"  "  taken  into,"  means  enrolled  with  care, 
picked  out  from  a  general  register — hinting  at  a  cir- 
cle within  a  circle — Deaconess  widows,  selected  from 
the  general  circle  of  widows.      So  says  Erasmus. 

By  the  "  aged  women  "  of  Titus  ii:3,  Paul  may, 
or  may  not  have  meant  Deaconesses.  It  is  worthy 
of  notice,  however,  that  the  identical  word  used 
here,  presbutidas^  is  often  used  by  the  church  fathers 
for  Deaconesses. 

One  cannot  but  greatly  regret  these  unfortunate 
mistranslations — Phoebe  being  called  a  "  servant," 
women,  "  wives,"  etc.  They  have  undoubtedly  re- 
tarded the  re-establishment  of  this  ancient  Order  in 
the  church  many  years. 

But,  befpre  leaving  this  subject,  I  wish  to  say 
that  while  I  personally  cannot  resist  the  conviction 
that  the  Order  of  Deaconesses  was  apostolic,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  press  this  point  as  authority  for 
modern  Deaconesses.  There  is  doubtless  some  ob- 
scurity attaching  to  the  subject,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  Greek  words,  DiakoJios,  gune  etc.,  are  capa- 
ble of  several  translations,  anyone  of  which  is  allow- 
able. It  is  true,  also,  that  the  New  Testament  is 
exceedingly  reticent  as  to  all  details  of  ecclesiastical 
organization.      All  we  can  be  certain  of,  concerning 


20  Deaconesses. 

the  order,  as  Dean  Howson*  well  remarks,  is  that, 
"  if  Scripture  is  faint  enough  to  excuse  the  dispens- 
ing with  it,  it  is  strong  enough  to  authorize  its  re- 
moval. The  burden  of  proof  rests  with  the  oppo- 
nent, not  the  advocate." 

But  even  if  we  were  to  concede  that  the  Order 
actually  did  not  exist  in  apostolic  times,  no  one  can 
doubt  that  the  spirit  of  the  thing  is  in  the  New 
Testament,  in  which  every  one,  man  and  woman,  is 
distinctly  and  earnestly  commanded  to  "  Go  into  all 
the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 
Whoever  admits  that  to  re-establish  the  ancient 
Order  of  Deaconesses  would  facilitate  the  work  of 
the  Christian  church,  actually  admits  the  whole 
question. 

♦Article  on  Deaconesses  in  Ed.  Rev.  Sept.  i860. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DEACONESSES    OF   THE    EARLY    CHURCH.* 

The  Deaconesses  of  the  Post- Apostolic  Church 
were  an  important  Order.  Whatever  doubt  there 
may  be  that  the  Order  existed  in  ApostoHc  times, 
there  can  be  none  here.  They  are  constantly  men- 
tioned by  the  writers  of  the  church,  and  occasion- 
ally even  by  profane  authors.  Phny,  the  younger, 
Governor  of  Bithynia,  in  his  celebrated  letter  to  the 
Emperor,  Trajan,  concerning  the  christians,  speaks 
of  two  "handmaids"  whom  he  calls  AltJiistrae^ 
whom  he  felt  obliged  to  torture — this  cultured  and 
elegant  gentleman — in  the  persecution  which  raged 
in  Asia  Minor,  in  his  time.  Pliny  wrote  in  the 
year  107.  John  the  Apostle  had  hardly  been  dead 
a  dozen  years.  In  reading  this  letter,  written  by 
an  outsider,  we  feel  that  we  are  going  back  to  the 
very  times  and  institutions  of  the  Apostles.  Ter- 
tullian,  Origin,  Basil,  Chrysostom,  and  many  others 
frequently  mention  Deaconesses,  calling  them  often 
by  this  very  name,  diakonos,  or  using  later,  the 
feminine  form  diakonissa.     Chrysostom,  the  silver- 

*See   Schaff's   Apostolic   History   and   Church   History,  for  satisfactory   and 
easily  accessible  information  on  Deaconesses. 


22  Deaconesses. 

tongued,  lived  in  the  last  half  of  the  fourth  century. 
He  was  much  interested  in  this  Order,  and  had 
many  devoted  friends  among  the  Deaconesses.  He 
earnestly  argues  for  the  scripturalness  of  the  Order, 
Among  his  writings  are  seventeen  letters  addressed 
to  Olympias,  a  lady  of  wealth  and  rank,  who  for 
many  years  was  a  Deaconess*  in  Constantinople.* 
The  early  church,  like  its  great  Founder,reckoned 
the  care  of  the  poor,  a  religious  service,  and  deacons 
were  first  appointed  for  that  function,  according 
to  the  graphic  account  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Acts. 
But  women  were  secluded  in  many  countries  where 
Christianity  was  preached,  and  in  all  countries  there 
were  peculiar  duties  pertaining  to  the  care  of  the  sick 
and  destitute,  that  only  a  women  could  perform. 
From  this  fact,  came  naturally  the  early  appointment 
of  female  Deacons.  James  had  said  that  pure  relig- 
ion and  undefiled,  before  God  and  the  Father,  was 
this,  *'  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their 
affliction,"  and  this  was  the  first  work  of  the 
Deaconesses.  As  the  organization  of  the  church 
became  more  complicated,  their  duties  increased. 
They  instructed  female  and  youthful  catechumens  in 
the  doctrines  of  the  church,  and  when  the  looked-for 
time  came,  that  these  catechumens  were  to  be  bap- 
tised, they  rendered  needed  assistance  at  that  cere- 

*  For  extensive  quotations  from  these  letters,  and  much  other  valuable  infor- 
mation, see  article,  "  The  diaconate  in  the  early  church,"  by  J.  M.  Ludlow  in 
Good  Words,  1863. 


Dcaco7iesses  of  the  Early   Church.  23 

mony,  which  was  often  longer  and  more  formal  than 
the  simple  baptism  of  the  modern  church.  Another 
sad  duty  became  theirs,  when  it  was  found  that 
women,  more  easily  than  men,  could  gain  access  to 
the  cells  of  those  imprisoned  for  the  faith,  and  espe- 
cially those  soon  to  receive  a  martyr's  crown.  Dea- 
conesses are  especially  mentioned  as  visiting  such, 
and  administering  to  them  the  consolations  and 
encouragements  of  the  Gospel.  Later  we  find  the 
Deaconesses  doing  regular  systematic  church  visita- 
tion, and  bringing  personal  womanly  influence  to 
bear,  in  every  possible  way,  in  gaining  converts. 

Deaconesses  were  at  first  ordained  with  solemn 
ceremony  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
bishop,  or  some  ecclesiastical  authority.  We  find, 
however,  that  in  later  times,  nearly  as  much  of  a 
battle  raged  around  this  question  of  the  ordination 
of  women,  as  at  the  present  time.  Some  of  the 
councils  bitterly  denounced  it  as  allied  to  the  cere- 
monies by  which  certain  heathen  priestesses  were 
consecrated.*  Others  declared  that  the  early  custom 
of  laying  on  of  the  hands,  was  simply  a  benediction, 
and  not  for  ordination.  The  facts  probably  are, 
that  the  sharp  distinctions  between  benediction  and 
ordination,  did  not  exist  in  very  early  times,  as  they 
did  a  few  centuries  later,  and  as  they  do  at  the 
present  time.  It  helps  much  to  an  understanding  of 
the  real  condition  of  things  in  the  early  church,  to 


24  Deaco7tesscs. 

remember  that  the  organization  of  the  church  was 
secondary  to  the  Hfe  in  the  church,  and  that  sharp 
lines  and  distinctions  were  not  necessary  in  its  early 
history.     The  Hfe  came  first,  the  form  afterwards. 

A  form  of  prayer  to  be  used  at  the  ordination  of 
Deaconesses,  has  come  to  us,  in  the  Apostolic  Con- 
stitutions, a  most  interesting  document,  which  while 
it  by  no  means  dates  back  to  the  days  of  the  apostles, 
as  its  name  would  indicate,  does  certainly  give  us 
a  very  interesting  picture  of  the  church  in  the  second 
or  third  century.  This  book  contains  church  laws 
and  usages,  together  with  moral  exhortations,  and 
in  the  last  part  a  hturgy,  in  which  occurs  the  prayer, 
which  is  said  to  be  given  by  Saint  Bartholomew. 
We  quote  introduction  as  well  as  prayer. 

"  Touching  the  Deaconess,  I,  Bartholomew,  do 
thus  ordain.  O  Bishop,  thou  shalt  lay  on  her  thy 
hands  in  the  presence  of  the  Deacons  and  Deacon- 
esses, and  thou  shalt  say: — 

*  O,  eternal  God,  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  creator  both  of  man  and  woman,  who  didst 
fill  with  thy  holy  spirit  Mary,  Deborahj  Anna,  and 
Huldah,  who  didst  not  disdain  that  thy  only  begot- 
ten Son  should  be  born  of  a  women,  who  also  in  the 
tabernacle,  the  testimony,  and  the  temple,  didst 
appoint  woman  as  keepers  of  thy  holy  gate,  look 
now  on  this  thy  handmaid  here  set  apart  for  the 
office  of  a  Deaconess.  Give  unto  her  thy  holy  spirit. 
Cleanse  her  from  all  impurity  of  the  flesh  and  of  the 
spirit.     Accomplish  the  task  committed  unto  her  to 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early   Church.  '2b 

the  glory  and  praise  of  thy  Christ,  with  whom  to 
Thee  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  glory  and  worship  for 
ever  and  ever,  amen.'" 

Prof.  C.  F.  Bradley  suggests  that  when  an  ordi- 
nation form — or  if  this  offend,  a  benediction  form — 
shall  again  be  needed  for  Deaconesses,  this  ancient 
prayer  be  made  a  part  of  it.  Nothing  could  be 
more  appropriate,  with  perhaps  the  omission  of  a 
single  sentence,  and  nothing,  certainly,  can  be  of 
greater  historical  interest. 

It  is  interesting  to  learn  that  a  great  multitude 
of  women,  were  early  found  pressing  their  way  into 
the  ranks  of  the  Deaconesses.  Even  women  of 
wealth  and  noble  rank  are  mentioned  as  applicants 
to  the  Order,  and  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  the 
influence  they  had  in  gathering  converts.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  work  of  protestant  sisters,  a  work  recently 
consulted,  very  naively  says,  "  Forty  soldiers  were 
confirmed  within  a  few  weeks,  a  direct  result  of  the 
labor  of  two  or  three  Sisters."  What  an  illustra- 
tion this,  of  the  value  of  woman's  personal  influence, 
and  how  astonishing  it  is,  that  for  so  long  a  time 
this  immense  power  has  been  so  largely  ignored  in 
religious  work. 

A  single  large  church  in  Constantinople,  had  at 
one  time  forty  Deaconesses  pushing  its  work,  and  a 
smaller  church  in  the  same  city,  had  six  of  these 
assistants.     We    are    always    amazed    at   the  rapid 


26  Deaconesses. 

growth  of  the  early  church.  Beginning  with  a  hand- 
ful of  unlearned  and  persecuted  men,  in  three  cen- 
turies it  spread  through  the  civilized  world,  had 
active  missionary  agencies  in  many  remote  lands, 
and  had  made  itself  the  dominant  power  in  the  world 
by  climbing,  in  the  person  of  Constantine,  to  the 
throne  of  the  Caesars.  May  not  the  explanation  of 
this  astonishingly  rapid  growth  be  found,  partly,  at 
least,  in  this  multitude  of  devoted  christian  women, 
who  as  ministrae  worked  side  by  side  with  the  min- 
isters of  the  gospel;  spreading  the  story  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  Him  crucified,  as  only  women's  heart  of 
love  and  tongue  of  enthusiasm  can  do  it?  Suppose  a 
large  church  in  Chicago,  had  forty  Deaconesses  earn- 
estly pushing  its  work  on  every  side?  Suppose  every 
church  in  Chicago  was  supplied  with  these  Min- 
istrae in  like  proportion,  might  we  not  again  see 
the  marvelous  growth  of  the  church  of  the  first  cen- 
turies in  our  midst?  And  if  one  asks,  where  shall  we 
find  the  Deaconesses,  the  census  of  1880  tells  us 
that  in  the  State  of  Massachussetts,  there  are  sixty-six 
thousand  more  women  than  men.  We  know  that 
it  is  among  women  that  we  find  the  largest  precent- 
age  of  the  earnestly  religious.  If  the  Order  and  work 
of  Deaconesses  were  only  once  popularizedy  how 
many  of  these  women  might  enter  this  Order  and  do 
this  work — a  blessing  to  themselves  and  all  around 
them. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early   Church.  27 

From  the  time  of  Constantine  down,  the  Order 
declined,  doubtless  because  of  the  spirit  of  monas- 
ticism,  which  invaded  the  church.  The  Eastern  or 
Greek  church  was  not  so  early  affected  by  this  spirit, 
as  was  the  Western  or  Latin,  and  we  are  therefore 
not  surprised  to  find,  that  while  in  the  Western 
church  the  Order  became  extinct  in  the  sixth  cen- 
tury, in  the  Eastern  it  lingered  until  the  twelfth. 
But  before  this  time,  the  Dark  Ages  had  fallen  over 
the  world.  How  much  of  that  darkness  was  caused 
by  the  lack  of  women's  God-given  work,  we  may 
only  conjecture.     It  cannot  have  been  little. 


CHAPTER  III. 

DEACONESSES  OF  THE  TIME  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

With  the  new  life  of  the  Reformation,  came  an 
carne-t  effort  to  again  systematize  and  utilize 
women's  work,  by  re-estabhshing  Deaconesses  in  the 
church.  In  the  Bohemian  and  Anabaptist  Churches 
they  arose  informally;  and  in  the  Netherlands, 
special  legislation  in  their  favor  was  nearly  effected. 
The  tide  turned,  however,  and  in  1581  they  were 
formally  disapproved,  it  being  declared  that  all  the 
charitable  work  of  the  church  ought  to  be  performed 
by  the  Deacons,  and  that  in  case  of  sickness  or  other 
emergency  in  which  the  Deacons  could  not  person- 
ally do  the  work,  they  must  attend  to  it  through 
"their  wives  or  others  whose  services  it  might 
be  proper  to  engage."  In  a  Puritan  Church  in 
Amsterdam,  we  find  an  "ancient  widow"  acting  as 
Deaconess,  as  late  as  1606.  Gov.  Bradford  gives 
the  following  lively  portrait  of  this  Dutch  Dea- 
coness: 

"She  honored  her  place  and  was  an  ornament 
to  the  congregation.  She  usually  sat  in  a  con- 
venient place  in  the  congregation  with  a  little 
birchen   rod    in  her  hand  and   kept  the  children  in 


Deaconesses  of  the  Time  of  the  Reformatio}!.  i^O 

great  awe  from  disturbing  the  congregation.  She 
did  frequently  visit  the  sick  and  weak,  especially 
women,  and  as  there  was  need,  called  out  maids  and 
young  women  to  watch  and  to  do  them  other  helps 
as  their  necessity  did  require;  and  if  they  were  poor 
she  would  gather  relief  for  them  of  those  that  were 
able,  or  acquaint  the  Deacons;  and  she  was  obeyed 
as  a  mother  in  Israel  and  an  officer  of  Christ." 

This  ancient  dame  was  sixty  when  elected,  but 
she  did  efficient  service  .for  many  years.  In  Eng- 
land, also,  the  Puritans  heartily  and  naturally  recog- 
nized Deaconesses.  A  curious  chuich  document 
dated,  1 575,  has  come  down  to  us,  in  which  occurs  the 
phrase:  "By  Deacons  of  both  sorts,  viz.,  men  and 
women,  the  church  shall  be  admonished,"  etc.  The 
one  sort,  however,  seems  to  have  been  few  and  far 
between.  They  left  no  permanent  record,  or  impres- 
sion upon  the  church. 

The  social  status  of  women  at  this  time  doubt- 
less abundantly  explains  the  failure  of  the  effort  to 
re-establish  again  this  ancient  Order.  Woman  was 
generally  regarded  as  very  inferior,  notwithstand- 
ing some  brilliant  exceptions.  That  she  should  be 
able  to  even  read  was  neither  expected  nor  desired. 
It  would  have  been  strange  if  she  had  been  given, 
under  these  conditions,  an  equal  position  of  honor 
with  her  brethren  in  the  church,  even  though  this 
position  was  more  than  hinted  at  in  the  Apostolic 
Church,  and  was  well  known  to  have  existed  in  the 


30  Deaconesses. 

church  of  the  first  centuries.  And  the  fact  that 
there  is  a  strong  movement  in  the  church  at  the  pres- 
ent time  toward  re-establishing  women  in  the  office 
which  she  held  with  honor  and  profit  at  the  first,  is 
a  strong  illustration,  not  only  of  the  true  emancipa- 
tion of  women  in  the  nineteenth  century,  but  also 
of  the  full  though  informal  recognition  of  her  true 
place,  and  the  value  of  her  work,  in  the  early  church. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DEACONESSES  OF  MODERN  EUROPE. 

It  is  to  be  doubted  whether  any  man  who  has 
lived  in  Germany  in  this  century,  has  had  so  great 
an  influence  as  Theodore  FHedner,  and  it  is  not  to 
be  doubted  that  no  man  has  had  so  beneficent  an 
influence  as  he.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  hav- 
ing brought  again  into  existence,  after  a  thousand 
years  of  oblivion,  the  primitive  Order  of  Dea- 
conesses. He  earnestly  believed  in  the  scriptural- 
ness  of  the  order,  perceiving,  as  Neander  says,  that 
women  have  "a  special  gift  for  service;"  he  was 
greatly  impressed  with  the  need  in  Germany  for 
v/oman's  benevolent  work,  and  these  convictions 
worked  out  gradually  into  the  Kaiserwerth  Dea- 
coness system.  Fliedner  is  described  as  a  very  good 
man.  Nobody  calls  him  great,  but  he  must  have 
been  great  in  faith.  He  was  born  in  1800. 
When  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  was  sent  to  the 
little  Roman  Catholic  village  of  Kaiserwerth  as 
pastor  of  a  small  Protestant  congregation  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Evangelical  Prussian,  the  old  Luth- 
eran, Church.  Circumstances  occurred  very  soon 
which  rendered  his  work  there  seemingly  hopeless. 


32  Deaconesses. 

He  was  offered  another  charge,  but  as  he  says  he 
"could  not  reconcile  it  with  his  duty  to  leave  his 
flock,"  many  of  whom  were  without  means  of  sup- 
port, owing  to  the  failure  of  factories  which  had  be- 
fore given  them  employment.  He  undertook,  in 
behalf  of  his  little  church  and  parochial  school,  a 
begging  tour  through  Holland,  and  even  to  Eng- 
land, and  returned,  having  met  with  considerable 
success.  But  the  greatest  value  of  this  journey  was 
not  the  financial  one.  While  in  England  he  became 
interested  in  the  practical,  philanthropic  work  in 
prisons  and  work-houses,  at  whose  head  was  that 
wonderful  woman,  Elizabeth  Fry.  To  use  his  own 
words  again,  he  was  "filled  with  deep  shame  that  in 
faith  and  love,  English  women  surpassed  German 
women. "  His  first  philanthropic  effort  was  to 
alleviate  the  condition  of  convicts  in  the  prisons 
near,  preaching  to  them  and  informing  himself  as  to 
their  condition  and  needs.  In  a  short  time  his  work, 
and  the  statistics  which  he  carefully  procured  con- 
cerning the  condition  of  prisons  in  Prussia,  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  Government,  and  soon  State 
Chaplains  were  appointed,  and  other  reformatory 
measures  were  introduced.  A  few  years  later  he 
revisited  England,  this  time  meeting  Mrs.  Fry  in 
person,  and  also  Dr.  Chalmers.  During  this  visit 
probably  culminated  the  spiritual  experience  toward 
which  he  had  been  tending  for  years.     He  recog- 


Dcvconcsscs  of  Modern  Europe.  33 

nized  the  dead   formalism   of  the   Prussian   Church, 


which  could  never  satisfy  the  desires  of  his  soul. 
He  sought  an  actual  heart  acquaintance  with  God, 
and  found  it.  From  Scotland  he  writes  "The  Lord 
greatly  quickens  me. "  Returning  to  Germany  he  en- 
deavored to  interest  people  in  openinga  refuge  fordis- 
charged  female  convicts.  He  found  not  a  single  sup- 
porter except  his  w^ife,  but  strong  in  her  assistance, 
and  in  faith  and  love,  he  declared  such  a  refuge 
opened  at  his  own  home  in  Kaiserwerth.  This  was 
in  1833.  Soon  the  first  woman  came,  and  he  ex- 
temporized a  lodging  for  her  in  his  garden-house, 
for  lack  of  a  better  place.  This  little  garden-house, 
only  twelve  feet  square,  where  poor  "Minna"  was 
received  and  tenderly  cared  for  by  Frau  Fliedner,  is 
still  shown  by  the  sisters  with  affectionate  interest  to 
interested  visitors.  The  next  year  it  became  too 
small  for  the  discharged  prisoners  who  sought  his 
help,  and  a  larger  place  w^as  secured,  the  expenses 
being  met  by  voluntary  contributions.  But  a  "  good 
girl "  from  Fliedner's  church  volunteering  her  ser- 
vices, a  knitting  school  was  started  in  the  garden 
house  for  the  little  children  of  the  town.  In  a  few 
years  this  grew  to  the  infant  school  which  at  present 
forms  a  leading  feature  of  the  Kaiserwerth  work. 

Such  was  the  simple  beginning  of  a  great  sys- 
tem of  reformatories,  hospitals  and  schools.  At 
first  his  wife,  the  first  Mrs.   Fliedner,  took    charge, 


34:  Deaconesses. 

caring  for  both  body  and  soul,  but  she  was  a  woman 
with  family  cares,  and  while  she  always  acted  a 
most  important  part,  hardly  inferior  indeed  to  that 
of  FHedner  himself,  the  urgent  necessity  for  other 
and  technically  trained  workers,  especially  for  the 
sick,  forced  itself  upon  their  minds. 

A  little  society  or  "  Committee  "  was  formed, 
called  the  "  Rhenish  Westphalian  Society,"  of  which 
Fliedner  was  the  Secretary  and  the  soul.  This  so- 
ciety at  once  purchased  a  large  house.  Moving  his 
family  into  the  lower  story,  Fliedner  opened  it  as  a 
hospital  in  1836.  He  had  no  patients  and  no  nurses. 
His  furniture  was,  "  a  table,  some  chairs  with  un- 
sound legs,  some  damaged  knives  and  forks,  and  a 
few  old  worm-eaten  bedsteads. "  In  a  little  while 
his  first  nurse  came,  or  rather  the  first  woman  who 
was  willing  to  take  the  nurse's  training;  and  soon 
after  came  the  first  patient,  a  Roman  Catholic  serv- 
ant girl.  Fliedner's  work  was  bitterly  opposed  by 
faithless  Protestants  and  bigoted  Romanists,  but  it 
grew  apace.  There  was  a  very  urgent  demand  for 
trained  nurses,  both  among  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  excellence  of  the  work  of  the 
simple-hearted,  devoted  Kaiserwerth  Deaconesses 
caused  them  to  be  sent  for,  far  and  near.  The  king 
and  queen  became  patrons  of  the  institution,  and 
money  poured  in  upon  it.  Schools  and  reforma- 
tories were    opened,  orphanages,  lunatic  asylums, 


Deaconesses  of  Modern  Europe.  35 

and  servant  girls'  training  schools.  A  farm  was 
added,  a  drug  store,  bakeries,  and  bath  houses,  and 
all  the  etceteras  of  an  immense  establishment. 

The  Kaiserwerth  Deaconesses  are  largely  drawn 
from  the  humbler  and  lower  class  of  German  women. 
They  serve  a  probation  of  from  three  months  to  two 
or  three  years,  and  are  afterwards  received,  prom- 
ising to  remain  five  years  at  a  time.  There  is  noth- 
ing rigid,  however,  about  this  promise,  and  it  is  un- 
derstood that  urgent  family  calls  shall  ^ake  preced- 
ence of  it.  Fliedner  made  much  of  the  family,  and 
strove  so  far  as  possible,  to  introduce  the  family  feel- 
ing into  his  own  home.  The  good  man  died  in 
1864,  but  his  excellent  wife  and  his  son-in-law  re- 
tained, uninterrupted,  the  customs  and  spirit  of  the 
house.  The  birthday  of  every  member  is  carefully 
recorded,  and  always  observed  in  some  delicate,  but 
inexpensive  way.  Fliedner's  religious  experience 
while  in  England  guarded  him  against  ritualistic 
forms,  but  a  beautifully  arranged  manual  of  Bible 
readings,  and  a  special  collection  of  hymns,  are  used 
in  all  the  home  services,  and  serve  to  keep  alive  this 
family  feeling,  no  matter  how  widely  the  Deacon- 
esses may  be  scattered. 

Fliedner  made  much,  also,  of  the  beautiful 
thought  that  his  workers  were  to  be  true  ministrae 
— the  name  given  to  the  old  Latin  Deaconesses — a 
thought  somewhat  obscured,  by  the  modern  techni- 


36  Deaconesses. 

cal  use  of  the  word  minister.  "  We  must  be  servants 
in  a  three  fold  way,"  he  taught  his  workers.  "Serv- 
ants of  the  Lord  Jesus,  servants  of  the  sick  and  poor 
for  Jesus'  sake,  and  servants  to  each  other." 

The  income  of  the  Home  is  about  $1,000,000 
yearly.  A  great  deal  of  money  comes  to  the  institu- 
tion from  the  families  of  the  rich,  where  the  Dea- 
conesses serve  as  nurses  or  teachers.  Collections 
are  also  taken  up  for  them  in  various  ways,  and  in 
many  churches.  They  also  have  many  wealthy  pat- 
rons, among  whom  are  men  and  women  of  rank  and 
position,  and  from  these  come  both  regular  and  oc- 
casional sums  of  money.  They  receive  also  a  large 
number  of  very  small  donations  from  friends  all 
over  the  world,  and  carry  on  a  small  publishing 
House  that  incidentally  yields  some  help.  The  Dea- 
conesses are  personally  supported  from  the  Home, 
no  one  being  allowed  to  receive  compensation  for 
herself.  She  is  sure,  however,  of  clothing  and  food, 
congenial  companionship  and  a  quiet  and  pleasant 
home  in  case  of  sickness  or  old  age.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  institutions  connected  with  the 
work  is  the  beautiful  Home  for  worn-out  Deacon- 
esses, at  Salem,  a  lovely  country  town  near.  Here 
amid  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  comfortable 
surroundings,  these  women  spend  the  evening  of 
their  life  doing  only  what  they  are  well  able  to  do, 
and  freed  from  the  cares  and  anxieties  that  render 


Deaconesses  of  Modern  Europe,  37 

unhappy  the  closing  years  of  so  many  lives.* 
The  symbol  of  the  Kaiserwerth  Deaconesses 
is  a  dove,  and  one  of  the  frescoes  in  the  house  at 
Salem,  is  a  beautiful  painting  of  Christ,  with  out- 
stretched hands,  welcoming  the  weary  dove  who 
flies  with  drooping  wings  to  his  bosom. 

A  High  Churchman  would  insist  that  the  Kaiser- 
werth Deaconesses  are  not  ordained,  since  the  in- 
stitution has  no  organic  connection  with  the  Prus- 
sian church.  But  there  is  a  simple  and  impressive 
form  of  service  used  when  they  are  consecrated  to 
the  work,  and  in  connection  with  this  there  is  an 
imposition  of  hands,  though  no  one  cares  to  con- 
test that  this  imposition  of  hands  is  anything  more 
than  a  hand  of  blessing,  symbolizing  the  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  which  it  is  prayed  may  rest  upon 
them  for  their  work.  Such,  no  doubt,  was  the  first, 
Scriptural,  object-lesson  meaning  of  the  symbol. 

But  the  direct  work  of  the  Kaiserwerth  Dea- 
conesses is  by  no  means  confined  to  Kaiserwerth. 
There  are  at  present,  about  twenty-five  "  affiliated 
houses,''  scattered  over  not  only  Germany,  but  Italy, 
England,  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  Northern  Africa,  and 
even  America;  and  besides  these  are  many 
■'  stations,"  where  the  work  is  carried  on  in  a  small 
way.     These   affiliated   houses  are  managed  by  the 


♦This  retreat  is  called  the  "  Feier-Abend  Hause  " — T'ouse  of  Evening  HoHday 
Rest. 


38  Deaconesses. 

Kaiserwerth  Deaconesses,  and  whatever  property 
they  have  is  held  by  the  Rhenish-WestphaHan  Soci- 
ety. The  Deaconesses  are  constantly  sent  for, 
moreover,  for  single  parishes  and  private  families; 
the  demand  far  exceeding  the  supply.  But,  no  mat- 
ter how  widely  they  are  scattered,  they  are  Kaiser- 
werth Deaconesses  still,  provided  with  clothing  and 
pocket-money  from  the  '^  Mother-house,"  wearing  the 
blue  uniform,  observing  the  stated  hours  of  prayer 
and  reading  the  stated  Bible  selections,  and — most 
comforting  of  all — looking  back  to  Kaiserwerth  as 
their  real  home,  where  a  loving  shelter  awaits  them 
in  sickness  or  old  age. 

But,  greater  almost  than  the  direct  influence 
which  has  emanated  from  Kaiserwerth,  is  the  indi- 
rect influence.  Apart  from  what  Florence  Night- 
ingale and  Agnes  Jones  learned  of  Pastor  Fliedner, 
for  England — for  they  both  studied  there — a  large 
number  of  independent,  but  friendly.  Deaconess 
Establishments  have  been  started  in  Europe,  due 
largely  to  the  stimulus  of  the  Kaiserwerth  example. 
Rev.  Antoine  Vermeil  founded  the  Mother-house  at 
Paris,  in  1841,  which,  in  turn,  has  its  affiliated 
houses  and  stations.  The  next  year.  Pastor  Har- 
ter,  a  warm  friend  of  Fliedner's,  founded  the  Mother- 
house  at  Strasburg,  and  very  soon  afterward  Pastor 
Germond  founded  the  St.  Loup  Mother-House  in 


Dcaco)icsses  of  Modern  Europe.  39 

Switzerland.  Other  important  institutions  are  at 
Riehen  near  Basle,  and  at  Zurich. 

Most  interesting,  however,  in  view  of  the  gen- 
eral interest  in  the  Deaconess  movement  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  America,  is  the 
Deaconess  Institution  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  Germany.  This  was  established  in  1874, 
and  has  at  present  about  one  hundred  Deaconesses 
working  under  its  auspices.  Dr.  A.  Sultzberger, 
who  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  from  the  first, 
gives  us  the  following  information  concerning  these 
institutions: 

"  We  began  this  work  with  three  Deaconesses. 
We  had  very  little  means,  about  $30.  We  now  have 
stations  at  Frankfort,  Berlin,  Hamburg,  Zurich  and 
St.  Gallen.  Our  nurses  enjoy  the  confidence  and 
sympathy  of  physicians.  Our  homes  are  under  the 
direction  of  an  Inspector,  who  is  elected  annually  by 
the  Board,  and  the  Chief  Sisters.  They  receive  the 
Deaconesses,  on  trial,  and  in  full  connection,  plan 
their  employment,  vacations,  etc.  The  Executive 
Committee  oversees  the  work  of  the  Inspector  and 
the  Chief  Sisters,  audits  accounts,  etc.  The  Inspector 
is  a  member  of  our  Conference.  A  large  gift  has 
been  received  lately  from  a  lady  who  was  under  the 
care  of  one  of  our  Deaconesses,  out  of  which  we  are 
building  a  home  for  recreation,  near  Frankfort  for 
the  Deaconesses.  The  whole  work  is  entirely  self- 
supporting  and  independent  of  the  Conference,  but 
it  enjoys  its  sympathy  and  moral  support." 


40  Deaconesses. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  not  strong 
in  Germany,  but  the  work  of  these  women  has 
already  proved  itself  very  valuable,  and  their  num- 
ber is  rapidly  increasing.  It  is  pleasant  to  know 
that  not  only  the  Church  but  the  Government  and 
the  public  generally,  recognize  the  value  of  this 
Deaconess  work,  and  that  both  steam  and  street- 
cars are  free  to  them. 

All  these  Deaconess'  institutions  are  modeled 
largely  after  the  pioneer  establishment  at  Kaiser- 
werth,  but  they  differ  in  minor  matters.  Kaiser- 
werth  trains  both  nursing  Deaconesses  and  instruct- 
ing Deaconesses;  so  does  Paris.  But  at  Strasburg, 
St.  Loup,  Basle  and  many  of  the  smaller  establish- 
ments, only  nurses  are  trained.  From  some  of  the 
Houses  goes  out  a  very  strong  Foreign  Missionary 
influence,  and  many  Deaconesses  go  to  heathen  and 
Mohammedan  countries  in  their  charitable  work. 
The  uniform  is  not  the  same  in  all  places.  Kaiser- 
werth  adopted  a  dark  blue,  to  distinguish  the  Dea- 
conesses from  the  Roman  Catholic  Nuns.  In  Paris 
the  Deaconesses  dress  in  black.  At  St.  Loup,  the 
brown  dress  of  the  Deaconess  inspires  confidence. 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  Deaconesses  in  Germany 
wear  black,  as  do  the  Mildmay  Sisters,  yet  to  be 
described.  There  is  absolute  uniformity,  however, 
as  to  support.  All  Deaconesses  work  for  "Jesus' 
sake,"  and  receive  no  salary,  content  with  such  sup- 


Deaconesses  of  Modern  Europe.  41 

port  as  may  be  furnished  them  from  the  Mother 
House,  and  a  small  stipulated  sum  of  pocket-money, 
month  by  month.  There  are  many  advantages  in 
this  plan.  It  relieves  them  absolutely  from  anxiety 
concerning  temporal  matters.  There  is  no  haggling 
for  higher  wages,  no  thought  taken  for  food  or 
raiment.  So  far  as  possible,  the  heart  of  the  worker 
is  made — 

At  leisure  from  itself 
To  soothe  and  sympathise. 

About  twenty-five  years  ago,  several  Deaconess' 
institutions  were  started  in  England.  They  were 
mostly  patterned  after  Kaiserwerth,  even  those 
which  were  under  the  care  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
Among  them  was  the  celebrated  Deaconess'  House 
which  was  founded  by  Rev.  Wm.  Pennyfather,  a 
pastor  in  the  Established  Church,  but  with  marked 
low  church  sentiments.  The  work  is  unsectarian, 
and  has  been  greatly  prospered.  Its  central  build- 
ing, the  Deaconess'  House  proper,  has  at  present, 
about  one  hundred  Deaconesses.  Its  Nursing  House 
and  hospitals  are  doing  a  work  recognized  every- 
where, for  their  thoroughness  and  beneficence.  Its 
Probation  House  receives  all  new-comers.  The  latest 
outgrowth,  a  Training  House  for  home  and  foreign 
missions  is  meeting  a  deeply  felt  want,  and  at  least 
one  large  foreign  missionary  society  in  England, 
requires  that  all  its  missionaries  receive  the  training 
given    here.      The    Mildmay   Deaconesses    number 


42  Deacojiesses. 

among  them  many  English  women  of  rank  and 
wealth,  not  only  self  supporting,  but  contributing  to 
the  income  of  the  Home;  as  well  as  others  of  hum- 
bler social  position.  They  are  all  one  in  work,  as 
they  are  one  in  Jesus  Christ.  They  wear  a  plainly 
made  black  gown,  with  wide  white  collar  and  cuffs. 
Like  their  German  sisters,  they  receive  no  salary. 
The  Home  is  supported  from  various  sources,  volun- 
tary contributions,  and  whatever  earnings  may  come 
to  the  sisters.  The  exquisitely  designed  and  tinted 
scripture  holiday  and  birthday  cards,  coming  from 
one  or  two  specially  gifted  Deaconesses,  are  well 
known,  and  have  proved  a  source  of  considerable 
income  to  the  estabHshment.  The  Mildmaj  work 
is  very  vigorous,  as  is  the  somewhat  smaller  unsec- 
tarian  Deaconess'  Home  in  North  London,  estab- 
lished in  1867,  and  largely  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Morley  family.  This  cannot  be  said  of  the  Dea- 
coness Homes  which  are  directly  under  the  care  of 
the  church  of  England.  Their  number  has  been 
increased  to  eight  or  ten,  but,  to  use  the  words  of 
an  eminent  authority  in  that  church,  they  have  only 
"  lingered  on,"  while  the  Sisterhoods  of  the  church, 
some  of  which  have  been  in  existence  since  1847, 
have  rapidly  multiplied. 

These  Sisterhoods,  of  which  there  are  at  present 
about  twenty-five,  undertake  to  some  extent  the 
work  performed  in  Germany  by  some  of  the  Dea- 


Deaconesses  of  Modern  Europe.  43 

conesses,  but  their  general  tendency  is  so  strongly 
Romanistic,  that  they  hardly  have  the  confidence  of 
their  own  denomination. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  pages,  that 
the  work  of  Deaconesses  lias  thus  been  tried  in 
Europe  for  over  half  a  century.  Its  general  success 
has  been  very  remarkable,  and  the  direction  it  has 
given  to  the  religious  work  of  woman,  has  marked 
not  only  an  era  in  her  history,  but  also  in  that  of 
the  Church  universal, 


CHAPTER  V. 

DEACONESSES    OF    AMERICA.* 

In  1849,  Pastor  Fliedner,  in  response  to  repeated 
and  urgent  solicitations,  detailed  two  Deaconesses  to 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  to  establish  a  Mother-house  in 
connection  with  the  German  hospital  in  that  city. 
The  good  man  himself  accompanied  them,  and  the 
work  was  established  under  most  favorable  auspices; 
it  has  not,  however,  been  prosperous,  the  number 
of  Sisters  diminishing  rather  than  increasing.  With- 
in a  few  years,  however,  another  organization  has 
been  formed  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
with  headquarters  at  Philadelphia.  Beginning  with 
few  deaconesses,  the  number  has  increased  to  thirty. 
Their  work  at  present  is  largely  nursing,  but  as 
their  number  increases,  all  departments  of  missionary 
work  are  to  be  undertaken.  A  munificent  gift  from 
Mary  J.  Drexel  has  enabled  the  society  to  build  a 
beautiful  and  capacious  Mother  house  of  Deaconesses 
in  Philadelphia.  Another  Lutheran  House  is  being 
established  in  Omaha,  where  Swedish  work  prin- 
cipally will  be   undertaken.     This  work  is  in  -con- 


*  Further  information  will  be  given  as  shall  be  possible,  if  this  book  should 
be  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  a  second  edition. 


Deaconesses  of  America.  45 

nection  with,  and  is  recognized  by  the  General 
Conference  of  Deaconess  Mother  houses  in  Ger- 
many/^ 

I  have  found  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  obtain 
information  as  to  the  Deaconesses  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  There  are  many  sisterhoods  in  America 
under  the  auspices  of  that  Church,  and  the  sisters 
are  undertaking  much  of  practical  religious  work, 
in  hospital  wards  especially.  Old  St.  Luke's 
Hospital,  in  New  York  City,  has  been  under  the 
care  of  the  Sisterhood  of  the  Holy  Communion 
since  1858.  In  a  list  of  Sisterhoods,  given  by  Bishop 
Potter,  we  find  mention  of  two  Deaconess  estab- 
lishments as  early  as  1872,  one  in  Baltimore  and 
the  other  in  Brooklyn.  No  essential  difference 
is  made  by  this  authority  between  deaconesses  and 
sisters. 

Deaconesses  were  formally  recognized  and 
authorized  by  an  action  of  the  General  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  May,  1888. t 
Very  great  interest  has  developed  as  to  the  possibil- 
ities of  the  work  of  Deaconesses  in  that  denomina- 
tion. Besides  the  Home  in  Chicago,|  which  had  been 
in  existence  nearly  a  year  before  the  General  Confer- 
ence action,  but  which  was  greatly  helped  by  it,  the 
Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  has  been  estab- 


*  We  are  indebted  to  Rev.  A.  Spaeth,  D.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  above. 

t  See  page     126 

X  For  full  account  of  the  Chicago  Deaconess  Home,  see  Part  III. 


46  Deaconesses. 

Hshed  in  Cincinnati.  The  Home  was  dedicated 
December  20,  1888,  and  the  work  is  under  the 
superintendence  of  Isabella  Thoburn.* 

A  Home  has  also  been  established  in  New  York 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Board  of  Church  Exten- 
sion and  City  Missions,  and  Miss  M.  E.  Layton 
is  the  Superintendent.  Some  steps  toward  organ- 
ization are  also  being  taken  in  Detroit,  Jersey  City, 
Baltimore,  Minneapolis,  Boston  and  Philadelphia. 
These  different  Homes  will  doubtless  soon  be 
banded  together  in  some  form  of  national  organ- 
ization.! 

No  resum^,  however  brief,  of  Deaconess  work 
in  America,  would  be  complete  without  mention 
of  the  first  Deaconess  Home  in  India,  at  Calcutta; 
since  that  Home  is  under  the  direction  of  the  Amer- 
ican missionary,  Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn,  and  his  es- 
timable wife.  Dr.  Anna  Thoburn;  and  its  inmates 
are  four  American  ladies,  who  sailed  with  him  for 
the  work,  December,  1888.  An  endowment  has 
also  been  made  of  a  Deaconess  Home  at  Muttra,  in 
India.  These  Homes  are  both  Methodist  Episcopal. 
Foreign  fields  offer  special  inducements  for  this 
method  of  missionary  work.  India,  with  its  ener- 
getic Bishop,  is  taking  the  lead,  but  other  lands  will 
not  be  slow  to  follow. 


*See  page  154. 
tSee  page  155. 


Part  II. 

The  Story  of 

THE    CHICAGO   TRAINING    SCHOOL, 

For  City,  Home  and  Foreign  Missions. 


Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door. — Rev.  Ill: 8. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ANTICjJPATION. 

Some  poetical  friend  of  the  double  work  of  the 
Chicago  Deaconess  Home,  and  the  Chicago  Train- 
ing School,  has  called  these  two  institutions  the 
**  Lovely  Hearted  Twins,''  and  perhaps  the  figure 
may  be  accepted,  even  though  the  one  last  named 
is  almost  two  years  older  than  the  first.  It  is,  at 
any  rate,  impossible  to  give  the  history  of  one,  with- 
out telHng  about  the  other,  and  the  first-born  must, 
of  course,  have  its  story,  outlined  first. 

In  October,  1885,  the  first  session  of  the  Chicago 
Training  School  for  City,  Home  and  Foreign 
Missions  was  opened  in  the  city  that  gives  name  to 
the  institution.  A  little  less  than  two  years  later — 
June,  1887 — the  Chicago  Deaconess  Home  began 
its  existence,  as  a  direct  outgrowth  of  the   School. 

If  a  few  words  of  personal  experience  may  be 
permitted,  I  very  much  want  to  tell  how,  looking 
back,  I  can  see  God's  thought  concerning  me;  and 
how,  through  many  years  wherein  the  pattern  of  my 
life  was  quite  hidden,  He  was  steadily  working  out 
His  will  in  my  preparation  for  my  life-work.  They 
tell  us  in  these   days  of  heredity  talk,  that  a  child's 


50  Deaconesses. 

education  should  begin  a  hundred  years  before  he  is 
born.  Certain  it  is,  that  God  began  my  preparation 
long  before  my  birth,  in  giving  me  a  father  whose 
studious  devotion  to  the  Bible,  was  the  wonder  of  our 
little  country  home  circle;  and  a  mother,  to  whose 
early  and  constant  purpose  of  a  thorough  education 
for  her  daughter,  I  owe  whatever  of  mental  cul- 
ture I  may  have.  Born  and  trained  in  a  christian 
home  in  the  pure  and  quiet  country,  I  was  con- 
verted when  thirteen  years  old.  But  I  learned  to 
love  the  Bible  long  before  that  time.  It  was  a  cus- 
tom of  my  father's,  to  gather  his  whole  large  family 
about  him  of  a  winter  evening,  or  a  Sunday  after- 
noon, and  ask  us  questions  concerning  various 
Bible  characters  or  events.  I  used  to  sit,  one  of  that 
circle,  in  the  great  farm-house  kitchen,  in  Vermont, 
watching  for  my  turn,  and  answering  or  missing,  as 
the  case  might  be,  the  questions  concerning  Moses 
and  David  and  Paul.  And  with  these  Bible  quizzes 
— to  borrow  a  medical  term — my  father  used  to  tell 
us  the  Bible  stories.  No  stories  will  ever  thrill  me 
again  like  the  stories  heard  from  my  father's  lips,  in 
that  same  old  wide-roomed  farm  house. 

Among  my  most  vivid  memories,  is  that  of  the 
tragic  story  of  the  Israelites  crossing  the  Red  Sea 
with  the  enraged  Egyptians  behind  them.  My 
father  illustrated  with  his  finger  on  the  narrow- 
boarded  black-oak  floor,  and  because  the  outline  of 


Anticipation.  51 

the  Red  Sea  that  he  drew  there  was  very  small, 
and  because  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  the 
words  "Israelites"  and  "Egyptians"  represented  men 
and  nations,  and  because  also  I  had  never  seen  any 
creatures  walking  one  after  another  in  regular 
order  excepting  the  little  black  and  red  ants  march- 
ing solemnly  along  on  the  fence  rails  or  up  the 
trunks  of  the  cherry  trees,  I  seriously,  and  most 
devoutly  believed  that  these  creatures  marching  one 
after  another,  as  my  father  pictured,  were  tribes  of 
ants,  one  black  and  the  other  red!  Nevertheless  I 
think  I  even  then  fully  understood  the  spiritual 
meaning  of  the  story,  the  power  of  God,  and  His 
oare  for  His  chosen  ones;  and  as  in  our  dreams  in 
later  years,  we  lose  sight  of  the  incongruous,  so  to 
my  childish  mind,  all  was  very  simple  and  appro- 
priate. But  I  must  not  linger  over  these  reminis- 
cences. 

Conversion  to  my  childish  mind,  meant  ''com- 
ing to  Jesus"  simply  and  naturally  at  the  invitation 
of  my  Sunday-school  teacher.  I  now  began  to 
read  the  Bible  thorough  in  course,  glancing  over  a 
chapter  at  night  before  my  evening  prayer,  as  I 
knew  other  Christians  were  in  the  habit  of  doing. 
It  is  a  curious  and  instructive  thing  for  me  to  look 
back  to  those  spring-time  years,  and  see  how  im- 
plicitly in  many  things  I  followed  the  example  of 
other  Christians.     My  mother  spoke  in  class-meet- 


52  Deaconesses. 

ing  and  I  spoke  in  class-meeting.  My  big  sisters 
went  literally  into  their  closets  to  pray,  and  I  went 
into  my  closet  to  pray.  My  life  was  a  happy  one. 
Why  should  it  not  have  been?  However,  notwith- 
standing the  example  of  my  father,  I  can  not  re- 
member that  I  ever  really  studied  the  Bible,  for 
many  years  after  my  conversion.  Neither  was  I 
actively  engaged  in  any  Christian  work.  I  hardly 
thought  of  it  as  proper.  My  pastor  talked  about 
religion,  of  course,  and  so  did  my  saintly  Sunday- 
school  teacher,  but  no  young  person  like  myself. 

There  came  a  later  winter  in  my  life,  when  all 
my  plans  were  frustrated,  and  my  future  was  a 
blank.  I  gathered  a  little  class  of  young  men,  how- 
ever, and  began  teaching  them  in  Sunday-school 
the  best  I  could.  It  was  only  a  step  from  this  to 
preparing  Bible  Readings  for  them,  and  only  a  step 
more  to  writing  Bible  lessons  for  children,  which 
came  to  be  accepted  and  paid  for  by  the  Sunday- 
school  papers.  But  all  this  required  Bible  study, 
and  so  in  the  good  providence  of  God  I  was  com- 
pelled to  study  the  Bible.  What  other  folks  might 
or  might  not  do,  according  to  inclination  or  con- 
science, I  had  to  do  for  my  bread  and  butter.  That 
is,  my  private  object  was  bread  and  butter,  but 
God's  object  was  to  train  me  to  be  a  teacher — a 
teacher  of  the  Bible.  I  remember  that  one  year  I 
wrote  about  four  thousand  questions  on  the  Sunday- 


Anticipation.  53 

school  lessons  of  the  year.  God  was  giving  me  the 
details  of  apprentice  work.  Then  He  gave  me  a 
drill  on  Normal  Methods,  in  one  of  the  best  secular 
normal  schools  in  Illinois,  and  finally  sent  me  out 
into  the  field  as  an  employee  of  the  Illinois  State 
Sunday-school  Association.  In  this  work  it  was 
my  duty  to  attend  County  Conventions  and  other 
Sunday-school  gatherings;  and  there  was  no  kind  of 
detail  or  general  work,  it  seems  to  me,  that  did  not 
at  times  fall  to  my  lot.  My  program  work  was  to 
give  Bible  and  Normal  lessons,  and  conduct  chil- 
dren's meetings,  and  this  was  an  invaluable  drill,  but 
I  remember  once  arbitrating  between  two  angry 
men.  God  was  giving  me  lessons  in  managing 
human  nature.  On  another  occasion  I  arrived  in  a 
town,  an  utter  stranger,  to  find  every  hotel  filled, 
and  to  be  turned  from  the  door  of  the  pastor  at 
eleven  o'clock  at  night.  I  found  a  lodging,  at  last, 
in  a  terrible  bed  over  a  saloon,  and  was  aroused 
during  the  night  by  the  drunken  brawls  in  the  room 
below.  God  was  making  me  understand  what  it 
was,  not  to  have  a  place  to  lay  my  head.  In  a  thou- 
sand ways,  of  grateful  interest  to  me  to  remember, 
God  tried  to  prepare  me  for  the  work  of  my  life.  I 
ought  to  be  a  good  teacher  to  judge  by  the  infinite 
thoughtfulness  of  my  Divine  Tutor,  and  when  I  am 
forced  to  confess,  even  with  these  years  of  training, 
to  such  weakness  and  imperfection^  1  am  constrained 


54  Deaconesses. 

to  exclaim,  "What  should  I  have  been  but  for 
God's  special  pains-taking  with  me!" 

During  the  three  or  four  years  of  my  travelling 
Sunday-school  work  in  Illinois  and  other  States,  I 
became  greatly  impressed  with  the  astonishing,  and 
to  me  alarming  ignorance  of  the  Bible  on  the  part 
of  our  Church  people,  Sunday-school  teachers, 
and  Christian  workers.  My  own  knowledge  of  the 
word  of  God  was  superficial  enough,  but  when  I 
saw  people  looking  for  Jude  in  the  Old  Testament, 
or  for  one  of  the  minor  prophets  in  the  New,  I 
realized  the  great  need  of  more  thorough  and  com- 
prehensive Bible  study  on  the  part  of  those  who 
were,  or  might  become  religious  teachers. 

The  winter  of  1884-5,  was  spent  as  Bible  teacher 
in  the  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  in  Northfield,  Mass. 
I  was  just  leaving  the  Sunday  School  work,  and  my 
mind  was  full  of  a  Bible  normal  school  of  some  kind. 
Considerable  interest  was  manifested  at  that  time, 
in  the  establishment  of  a  Bible  training  school  in 
Chicago,  and  I  seized  eagerly  upon  the  idea  as  the 
fulfilment  of  my  ardent  desire.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  the  plan  must  succeed,  I  had  no  doubt  that  it 
would,  and  when  the  conviction  was  forced  upon  me 
that  the  movement  would  not  crystalize  into  a  defi- 
nite work  of  the  kind  which  I  desired,  at  least  for 
some  years,  the  blow  was  a  crushing  one.  It  had 
seemed    to  me  to  be  the  one  possible  opening  for 


Anticipation.  55 

such  an  institution,  and  its  failure  to  develop  just 
as  I  had  planned,  was  an  intense  personal  disap- 
pointment. Yet  even  then  I  could  not  give  it  all 
up.  The  idea  of  some  movement  of  the  kind  grew 
upon  me  daily.  It  colored  my  dreams,  and  mingled 
in  my  prayers.  I  wrote  letters  to  every  one  that  I 
thought  would  be  interested  in  the  plan,  and  spun 
articles  about  it  out  of  my  brain,  both  real  and  fic- 
titious for  all  the  papers  that  I  thought  would  pub- 
lish them.  Anything  to  get  people  to  thinking 
about  the  matter.  The  Sunday  School  Times  was 
laid  under  contribution  in  this  way,  as  well,  as  the 
Advocates. 

Before  returning  west,  I  visited  New  York, 
city  and  poured  my  story  into  the  ear  of  Chaplain 
and  Mrs.  McCabe,  with  whom  fortunately  I  had 
some  acquaintance.  I  was  greatly  cheered  by  their 
sympathy  and  encouragement.  Mrs.  McCabe  took 
me  in  her  carriage  to  visit  several  ladies  that  she 
thought  might  be  interested.  The  plan  of  the 
school  was  quite  matured  by  this  time  in  my  own 
mind,  and  I  volubly  explained  it  to  these  ladies, 
watching  the  result  in  their  faces  and  words.  I 
remember  one  dear  lady,  quite  a  leader  in  one  of 
the  Missionary  Societies,  who  listened  with  patience 
until  I  announced  that  ladies  were  to  be  trained  in 
it  for  both  the  Home  and  the  Foreign  Missionary 
work,  and  that  both  Societies  were  to  be  represented 


# 

56  Deaconesses.  , 

in  it.  At  this  point  she,  interrupted  me  with  a  ges- 
ture of  absolute  impossibility.  "  My  dear,"  she 
said,  in  tones,  the  rising  inflection  of  which  expressed 
final  decision,  "  that  idea  alone,"  and  here  the  inflec- 
tion was  downward,  ''  proves  the  absolute  imprac- 
ticability of  the  plan!"  The  same  dear  lady  handed 
me,  a  little  more  than  a  year  later,  the  first  of  her 
contributions  toward  the  school,  a  check  for  $25. 
She  has  been  a   valuable  friend  ever  since. 

I  had  by  this  time  discovered,  to  my  intense 
satisfaction,  that  others  were  thinking  of,  and  desir- 
ing similar  Schools.  Dr,  M.  M.  Parkhurst,  of 
Chicago,  and  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  were  talking  about  a 
Missionary  College,  with  returned  missionaries, 
— physicians  and  others — as  the  only  teachers  and 
candidates  for  foreign  missionary  service  only  as 
pupils.  The  ladies  of  the  then  newly  organized 
Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  were  also 
planning  for  a  school  for  their  workers,  more 
especially  in  the  lines  or  domestic  economy.  The 
sympathy  and  encouragement  I  received  from 
these  friends,  fanned  my  interest.  More  than  ever 
did  I  believe  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  a  movement 
of  some  kind.  One  of  the  great  obstacles,  perhaps 
indeed  the  very  greatest,  was  the  question  that  con- 
tinually met  me,  *'  How  about  the  expenses  of  the 
school?     Who  would  be  responsible  for  the   living 


Anticipation.  57 

expenses?  "  And  when  I  demonstrated  with  paper 
and  pencil,  that  a  very  moderate  sum  paid  by  the 
students  weekly  for  board,  would  cover  all  these 
expenses,  the  other  harder  question  was,  '*  But  who 
will  pay  the  salaries  of  the  teachers?  " — a  question  I 
could  not  answer.  My  private  expectation  was  that 
the  need  of  the  school  was  so  great,  that  friends 
would  certainly  volunteer  to  pay  what  salaries  might 
be  needed.  Rut  no  such  offers  were  made,  and  this 
seemingly  insurmountable  barrier  still  remained.  I 
was  at  that  time  receiving  a  much  larger  salary  than 
women  are  usually  paid,  and  as  the  burden  increased 
on  my  heart  for  the  school,  the  thought  very  natur- 
ally came  to  me,  that  I  might  work  for  less.-^and 
next  that  I  w  ould  do  so,  if  God  would  only  open  the 
way  for  the  estabhshment  of  the  school.  I  remem- 
ber planning  in  my  own  mind,  that  the  proper 
amount  for  me  to  take,  would  be  about  two-thirds  of 
what  I  was  then  receiving.  But  as  the  time  passed 
on,  and  nobody  was  found  ready  to  pay  even  the 
two-thirds,  I  concluded  that  it  would  be  easier  for 
me  to  work  for  one-third,  than  not  to  have  the  school 
opened;  so  I  decided  I  would  take  one-third — still 
a  very  comfortable  sum.  But  the  one-third  was  no 
more  forthcoming,  than  the  whole  had  been.  Fi- 
nally the  question  faced  me  squarely,  would  I  volun- 
teer my  services,  to  the  school,  whatever  they  might 
be  worth,  provided  it  could  be   opened  in  the  other 


58  Deaconesses. 

way;  and  it  was  not  until  I  answered  this  question 
in  the  affirmative,  that  the  first  actual  move  towards 
solving  the  problem  of  how  to  open  the  school  was 
made.  This  move  came  by  the  active  interest  of 
Rev.  T.  P.  Marsh,  D.  D.  Dr.  Marsh  knew  the  great 
"  concern  of  mind  "  I  had  about  the  enterprise,  and 
being  secretary  of  the  Chicago  M.  E.  Preachers' 
Meeting,  he  urged  through  that  honorable  body  an 
invitation  for  me  to  present  a  paper,  on  the  subject 
of  a  Training  School.  This  was  the  entering  wedge, 
without  which  I  do  not  see  how  the  school  could 
ever  have  been  opened. 

I  want  to  emphasize  right  here  that  this  no-salary 
peculiarity  of  the  work  in  the  Training  School  and 
Deaconess  Home,  was  thus  of  the  Lord's  planning, 
and  not  of  mine.  Most  persons  who  go  into  a  so- 
called  **  faith  work,"  not  receiving  a  stated  salary, 
do  so  voluntarily.  In  such  cases,  it  seems  to  me 
that  the  faith  and  self-sacrifice  of  the  workers  is 
really  worthy  of  remark.  In  my  case  it  was  quite 
different.  I  feel  sure  there  was  no  special  faith  on 
my  part.  I  remember  distinctly  that  it  did  not 
occur  to  me  at  all  as  a  sacrifice,  and  does  not  at  the 
present  time.  The  simple  fact  is  it  was  the  easier 
of  two  things  for  me  to  choose.  I  did  not  plan  to 
work  without  salary,  but  the  question  was,  this  way 
or  none,  since  there  was  absolutely  no  fund  what- 
ever, from  which  to  draw  for  anything,  least  of  all 


Anticipation.  59 

for  teachers'  salaries.  The  burden  on  my  heart  was 
so  great,  and  the  relief  so  marked  when  the  pros- 
pects brightened  for  the  opening  of  the  school,  that 
the  salary  question  dropped  into  the  infinitesimals, 
not  worthy  to  be  considered  for  a  moment.  More- 
over I  knew  that  Mr.  Meyer  would  be  earning  a 
salary  upon  which  we  could  depend  for  our  living. 
And  indeed,  this  was  the  case  at  the  first,  but  as  the 
work  of  the  school  increased,  and  the  business  part 
became  more  complicated,  we  found  it  absolutely 
necessary  that  another  person  take  hold  of  that 
department  of  the  work.  In  this  way  the  "  call " 
came  to  my  husband,  and  he  gave  up  his  outside 
religious  work,  to  take  up  this.  But  the  Lord  had 
so  prepared  us  for  it,  that  there  was  very  little  of 
struggle,  and  very  little  need  of  faith  in  connection 
with  its  unsalaried  peculiarity.  The  work  of  the 
School  and  Home  is  not  often  called  a  faith  work, 
indeed  it  differs  very  much  from  most  of  the  so- 
called  faith  institutions  of  the  country,  in  some  of  its 
methods.  But  aside  from  this  difference,  I  always 
shrink  from  the  name,  at  least  in  so  far  as  my  faith 
is  concerned  for  if  the  School  had  depended  upon 
that,  it  would  never  have  existed.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber any  peculiar  spiritual  exercises  over  it,  except 
that  I  could  not  let  it  alone.  A  great  burden  lay 
on  my  heart  day  and  night  for  it.  But  I  do 
remember   distinctly  the  alternations  of  hope    and 


60  Deaconesses. 

fear  in  my  heart  during  those  long  months.  Some- 
times I  quite  despaired,  and  at  other  times  my 
enthusiasm  knew  no  bounds.  Knowing  as  I  do, 
the  inside  history  of  my  heart,  and  how  weak 
and  '^wavering"  my  faith  was  notwithstanding  the 
warning  of  James,  is  it  any  wonder  that  I  shrink 
from  the  distinctive  appellation  of  a  "■  faith  work?  " 
The  School  and  Home  are  to  me  rather  necessity- 
works  or  prayer-works.  Frances  Ridley  Havergal 
says,  most  sweetly,  ''  Those  who  trust  Him  wholly, 
find  Him  wholly  true,"  but  thank  God  the  limit  of 
His  trueness,  is  not  set  by  our  faithfulness.  J.  Hud- 
son Taylor  says,  with  deeper  insight,  "  Whether  we 
trust  Him  wholly  or  not,  we  find  Him  wholly  true." 

Very  wonderful,  also,  was  Mr.  Meyer's  uncon- 
scious preparation  for  our  work.  Converted  before 
he  knew  it,  at  his  godly  mother's  knee — that  perfect 
ideal  of  conversion — securing  by  his  own  efforts  a 
practical  education,  with  later  something  of  a  Theo- 
logical training,  tried  by  poverty  and  sickness,  a 
graduate  of  the  "  University  of  Adversity"  when 
God's  call  to  service  came,  it  found  him  ready. 

Amusing  as  well  as  serious  incidents  led  finally 
to  his  giving  up  his  mission  Church,  to  devote  his 
whole  time  to  this  work.  When  the  School  num- 
bered only  five  or  six,  I  undertook  to  keep  all 
accounts,  as  a  model  house-wife  should.  It  was  a 
struggle    between    me    and     my    pride,    but    the 


Anticipation.  61 

accounts  grew  more  and  more  mixed,  and  at  last 
one  headachey  day,  I  carried  the  dreadful  pile  of 
account-books  and  dumped  them  uncerem.oniously 
before  my  astonished  husband,  saying  most  meekly, 
"If  you  will  only  take  them  and  keep  them,  I  promise 
never  to  try  to  keep  books  again  as  long  as  I  live." 
He  laughed  good-naturedly,  and  has  never  had 
occasion  to  doubt  my  ability  to  keep  one  promise. 
From  that  day  to  this,  all  the  business  superintend- 
ency  of  the  two  institutions  has  been  done  by  him. 
How  glad  I  was  that  God  had  given  him  special 
drill  in  book-keeping.  And  when,  later,  the  work 
of  publishing  and  mailing  The  MESSAGE  came  to 
be  a  large  and  complicated  business,  we  recognized 
with  wondering  gratitude  the  good  hand  of  God 
that,  years  before,  had  given  him  employment  in  a 
publishing  house  and  kept  him  there  till  the  details 
of  the  business  were  thoroughly  mastered. 

Within  a  few  months  after  the  Deaconess  work 
was  started,  while  we  were  still  undecided  as  to 
whether  we  had  best  make  nursing  a  branch  of 
our  work  or  not,  a  grievous  and  long-continued 
sickness  came  into  our  family.  All  that  love  and  skill 
could  do,  was  done  for  my  husband's  sick  wife  and 
child,  but  while  so  much  of  suffering  still  remained, 
the  thought  pressed  home  upon  him:  What  are  the 
sick  doing,  how  are  they  living,  and  how  are  they 
dying  in  our  great  city,  where,  as  in  so  many  cases, 


62  Deaconesses. 

there  is  no  love,  no  skill,  no  helping  hand,  no  know- 
ledge of  Jesus  Christ,  to  sustain  the  sinking  body 
or  give  light  to  the  departing  soul?  And  it  was  while 
we  were  thus  being  disciplined  by  suffering  that  the 
Deaconess  Home  began  its  independent  existence 
described  elsewhere,  and  the  first  definite  plan  was 
made  for  training  nurses  for  the  sick  poor.  When 
we  look  back  at  the  Providence  that  thus  once  and 
again  opened  the  door  and  almost  forced  us  into  it, 
we  feel  like  saying  in  the  face  of  well-meaning 
friends  who  speak  of  us  as  the  founders  of  the  Home: 
«  Not  unto  us,  oh  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  Thy 
Name  be  glory.  "  Florence  Nightingale  says  when 
asked  for  an  explanation  of  her  marvellous  life,  "  I 
have  worked  hard,  very  hard,  and  never  refused 
God  anything."  I  fear  the  same  simple,  grand 
testimony  cannot  be  given  by  me  in  its  broadest 
meaning,  but  we  have  worked  hard,  very  hard,  and 
whatever  measure  of  success  may  have  come  to  us 
in  our  work,  has  come  because  of  not  refusing 
God. 

The  gathering  around  us  of  a  corps  of  volunteer 
workers,  has  been  one  of  the  blessed  earthly  results 
of  this  providential  peculiarity.  No  words  can 
express  our  indebtedness  to  our  faithful  and  sym- 
pathetic Board,  and  the  Committees  to  whom 
special  interests  were  assigned.  The  Lord  knows 
the    names    of  every  one,   but  our  Secretary,   Mr. 


Ajiticipation.  63 

William  E.  Blackstone,  and  our  Treasurer,  Mr. 
George  D.  Elderkin,  of  Oak  Park,  busy  business 
men,  have  spent  days  and  weeks  and  solid  months 
in  forwarding  our  work,  to  say  nothing  of  their 
generous  money  gifts.  Dr.  I.  N.  Danforth,  too, 
has  helped  us  as  only  a  man  of  his  professional 
standing  could,  both  to  a  good  reputation  with  the 
public  and  in  the  care  of  our  sick.  All  our  medi- 
cal work  has  been  voluntary,  and  from  the  best 
physicians  in  the  city.* 

But  to  speak  of  those  who  have  given  their 
whole  time  to  the  work,  first  came  Mrs.  A.  A. 
Abbott,  who  for  two  years  served  the  school  most 
faithfully  as  matron.  Then  Mrs.  I.  V.  Dickinson 
joined  the  number,  laboring  quietly  but  most 
efficiently  on  The  Message  with  a  faithfulness  and 
devotion  that  knows  no  bounds,  receiving  callers  as 
well.  Our  beautiful  "  Doorkeeper  in  the  House 
of  the  Lord  "  she  is,  with  "  sainthood  in  her  face," 
as  a  daily  paper  once  said  of  her.  Later  came  the 
Deaconesses,  until  at  present  there  are  connected 
with  our  work  in  school  and  Home  about  twenty-five, 
give  their  whole  time  without  salary,  some  of  them 
also  providing  for  their  own  board  and  expenses. 
Thus  the  plan  that  we  adopted  for  a  make-shift  in 
an  emergency — rather,   I   may    say,    that    we   were 

*  Our  special  thanks  are  due  to  Dr.  E.  H,  Root,  Dr.  F.  H.  Wadsworth,  Dr 
C.  W.  Earie.  Dr.  D.  W.  Graham,  Dr.  Sarah  Hackett  Stevenson,  Dr.  E.  H 
Heise  and  Mary  Allen  West. 


64  Deacoiieeses. 

forced  into  by  God — has  been  wonderfully  used 
by  Him  in  the  carrying  on  of  the  work.  It  has  been 
also  of  practical  advantage  to  our  workers  time  and 
again,  as  they  have  been  met  with  some  taunting 
question  as  to  how  much  they  were  paid  for  their 
work;  they  have  been  able  to  silence  their  opponents 
by  a  word.  We  know  of  course  that  the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire,  whether  it  be  a  temporal  or 
spiritual  labor,  but  we  know  also  that  one  may  give 
up  this  hire,  if  by  so  doing,  a  difficulty  can  be  removed 
or  work  be  better  performed.  Paul  said:  "If  we 
§owed  unto  you  spiritual  things  is  it  a  great  matter 
if  we  reaped  your  carnal  things?  Nevertheless,  we 
do  not  use  this  right  .  .  .  that  we  may  cause 
no  hindrance  to  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  ...  Ye 
yourselves  know  that  these  hands,"  and  we  can  see 
him  showing  to  them  his  hands  hardened  with  the 
toil  of  his  tent-making  trade — "ministered  to  my 
necessities. " 

But  to  return  to  my  story.  The  paper  I  was  to 
read  at  the  minister's  meeting,  was  prepared  as  care- 
fully as  possible.  By  day  and  night  I  thought  and 
worked  upon  it,  and  its  pages  were  saturated  with 
prayer.  June  15,  1885,  finally  came,  and  I  read  the 
address  according  to  appointment.  More  interest 
was  awakened  than  I  had  reason  to  expect.  The 
brethren  passed  a  commendatory  resolution,  and 
appointed  a  committee  on  the  subject,  composed  of 


Aiiticipatio7t.  65 

members  of  the  Preachers'  Meeting,  the  Woman's 
Foreign,  and  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Socie- 
ties. The  kind  ladies  who  were  appointed  on 
the  committee  without  their  knowledge,  raised  no 
objection  to  the  proceeding,  but  a  meeting  was  not 
held  until  the  19th  of  August.  The  friends  compos- 
ing this  committee  were  finally  gathered  in  the 
parlor  of  the  Lake  Bluff  hotel,  but  not  until  a  great 
deal  of  effort  had  been  expended  in  visiting  each 
separately,  and  urging  all  to  be  present.  The  simple 
fact  was,  that  not  a  half  dozen  persons,  even  at  that 
time,  believed  in  the  necessity  of  a  school,  or  the 
practicability  of  the  plan.  The  first  committee  meet- 
ing amounted  to  but  little,  but  it  was  a  beginning,  a 
resolution  or  two  was  passed,  and  an  adjourned 
meeting  was  ordered  the  next  week.  This  meeting 
took  place  on  the  platform  of  the  auditorium  at 
Lake  Bluff,  and  a  goodly  representation  was  present. 
I  privately  suspected  that  the  large  attendance  was 
due  in  part  to  the  fact  that  the  rain  was  pouring 
down  outside,  and  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  get 
out  of  the  Auditorium.  At  any  rate  there  was  a 
large  meeting.  It  occurred  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  that  had  witnessed  the  anniversary  of  the 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  at  that  place, 
and  providentially  Dr.  Wm.  Butler  had  been  one  of 
the  speakers  at  that  meeting.  I  saw  Dr.  Butler 
privately,  before    the  committee  meeting,    and  en- 


66  Deaconesses. 

treated  him  to  be  present,  and  say  whatever  might 
be  in  his  heart  to  say,  as  to  the  need  of  such  a  school 
for  the  foreign  missionary  service;  and  sure  enough 
the  dear  old  white-haired  veteran  stayed,  and  when 
the  president  deferentially  asked  his  opinion  of  the 
project,  he  arose  from  his  seat,  and  gently,  but  most 
effectively  pleaded  for  the  school.  "  I  tell  you 
friends,"  he  said,  "  your  missionaries  in  the  foreign 
field  need  training  before  they  go.  I  cannot  find 
words  to  express  my  desire  that  this  plan  shall  suc- 
ceed. I  believe  your  ladies  would  be  much  better 
•  prepared  for  their  work  after  the  training  proposed 
in  such  an  institution."  The  words  of  this  man,  so 
eminent  an  authority  in  missionary  matters,  pro- 
duced the  effect  desired.  I  watched  the  look  of 
indifference  fade  from  the  faces  of  the  ladies,  then 
they  began  to  nod  to  each  other  in  assent  to  the 
Doctor's  words,  and  my  heart  rose.  At  the  close 
of  the  meeting  a  decided  resolution  was  passed, 
declaring  that  such  a  training  school  as  that  dis- 
cribed,  was  urgently  needed  in  Chicago,  and  advis- 
ing that  one  be  opened  at  once. 

Dr.  Parkhurst  was  an  active  mover  in  all  these 
meetings,  and  was  made,  very  properly,  the  chair- 
man of  the  committee.  Riding  down  to  the  city  a 
few  days  after,  he  chanced  to  sit  in  the  same  car- 
seat  with  Mr.  Wm.  E.  Blackstone,  and  "  took  the 
liberty,"  as  he  modestly  said,  to  present  the  subject 


Anticipation.  67 

to  this  gentleman.  Mr.  Blackstone  at  once  became 
deeply  interested.  He  was  invited  into  the  meet- 
ings of  the  committee,  which  were  held  in  Chicago, 
and  very  soon  became  a  leading  and  very  valuable 
member  of  the  same.  Committee  meetings  were 
now  held  frequently,  and  atone  of  them,  Aug.  28th, 
matters  were  brought  to  a  crisis,  when  Mrs.  L.  A. 
Hagans  offered  the  following:  "  Resolved  that  a 
Committee  be  appointed,  with  power  to  act,  to 
immediately  rent  a  house  for  the  School."  It  was 
seconded,  but  before  it  was  passed,  realizing  the 
responsibility  of  the  moment,  the  business  was  sus- 
pended, and  the  committee  resolved  itself  into  a 
prayer  meeting.  Rising  from  our  knees,  the  resolu- 
tion was  formally  passed,  and  the  training  school 
was  positively  and  definitely  ordered  to  exist. 

The  next  thing  was  to  find  a  place  in  which  the 
incipient  institution  should  be  established.  After 
numerous  experiences,  only  too  familiar  to  house- 
hunters  of  any  kind,  the  dwelling  house  at  No.  19 
Park  Avenue,  was  selected  for  the  rest  of  the  year 
at  least.  The  beginning  of  our  personal  experiences 
connected  with  this  house  came  near  being  tragic. 
The  agent  gave  us  the  key  and  sent  us  by  mistake 
to  look  at  No  21.  We  mounted  the  steps  and 
tried  the  key,  but  the  lock  did  not  yield.  We  con- 
cluded that  the  agent  had  given  us  the  wrong  key, 
and   taking   a  bunch   from  his   pocket,  Mr.  Meyer 


68  Deaconesses. 

began  trying  his  own  keys  on  the  obstinate  lock. 
To  our  delignt  it  yielded,  but  as  we  entered  we 
were  astonished  at  evidences  of  occupation,  and 
overheard  a  lady  saying  in  an  indignant  tone  of 
voice,  "Why  they  are  coming  right  in!''  We 
retreated  in  confusion,  rang  the  bell,  and  explained 
as  well  as  we  could  that  there  was  a  mistake. 

The  house  being  finally  chosen,  the  sum  of  $50 
per  month  was  pledged  for  rent.  The  faith  of  the 
young  Committee  was  tested  to  the  utmost  in  assum- 
ing that  this  sum,  which  seemed  to  us,  considering 
our  resources — or  our  lack  of  resources — simply 
immense.  I  think  two  and  a  half  years  later,  the 
sum  of  $12,000  for  the  purchase  of  the  second  lot, 
was  assumed  with  much  less  trembling. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OUR    ''OWN    HIRED    HOUSE." 

About  the  first  of  October,  Mr.  Meyer  and  my- 
self moved  into  the  house.  I  do  not  know  why  we 
chose  a  Saturday  evening  for  the  interesting  opera- 
tion of  moving,  but  so  it  was.  To  add  to  the  dis- 
comfort of  the  occasion  a  drizzling  rain  began  to  fall, 
and  when  we  and  our  small  personal  household 
effects  reached  the  place,  the  storm  was  quire  severe. 
Mr.  Meyer  rode  over  on  the  express  wagon  with 
the  driver,  and  I  followed  meekly  along  in  the  street 
cars,  carrying  a  lamp  that  refused  to  be  packed,  in 
one  hand,  and  a  precious  bottle  of  water  in  the 
other,  in  which  was  growing  a  little  plant — a  relic 
of  a  certain  wedding,  which  had  occurred  only  the 
spring  previous.  Mr.  Meyer  reached  the  house  first 
and  started  out  for  a  broom  and  some  matches.  I 
had  a  key  also,  and  finding  no  one  in,  and  the  house 
not  exactly  swept  and  garnished  when  I  arrived,  I, 
too,  started  for  a  broom  and  some  matches.  We 
reached  home  about  the  same  time  and  had  a  hearty 
laugh  over  our  duplicate  purchases,  but  both  brooms 
and  all  the  matches  were  needed  before  the  house 
was   properly  cleaned  and   righted.      Not   much    of 


70  Deaconesses. 

this,  however,  was  done  that  night.  We  were  con- 
tented to  clear  a  very  little  space,  over  which  we 
laid  a  very  little  rug,  and  this  was  our  "  parlor,"  in 
which  we  lived  happily  over  Sunday. 

Storm  and  wet  and  confusion  and  weariness — 
there  was  nothing  in  any  or  all  of  them  to  cast  a 
shadow  on  our  contentment.  Were  we  not  actually 
in  the  house  in  which  our  School  was  to  be  started? 
I  remember  wondering  in  some  of  those  moments  of 
exaltation,  whether  anything  ever  could  make  me 
really  unhappy  again. 

The  next  week  the  work  of  preparing  for  the 
school,  cleaning  and  furnishing,  actually  began  in 
earnest,  but  since  there  were  but  very  few  pupils 
applying,  the  matter  of  advertising  the  school 
received  our  first  attention.  We  improvised  a  desk 
out  of  two  dry-goods  boxes  covered  with  news- 
papers, and  hundreds  of  letters,  and  thousands  of  cir- 
culars were  sent  out  from  it.  Miss  Elizabeth  E. 
Holding,  who  was  afterwards  to  become  a  valuable 
assistant  in  the  school,  spent  the  first  few  months 
with  us,  assisting  in  writing.  On  this  same  desk 
of  dry-goods  boxes,  we  began  the  work  on  the 
Nickle  Fund.  In  the  paper  read  by  me,  before  the 
Chicago  Preacher's  Meeting,  occurred  this  para- 
graph: 

**  Can  a  Twenty-five  thousand  dollar  Home  be 
built  out    of  nickles?      There  are    one    million    of 


Our   Oiufi  Hired  House.  71 

women  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  the 
United  States  alone.  Some  one  pleads  for  a  penny 
a  day  from  each" of  these  women  for  the  cause  of 
missions.  I  would  not  ask  that — 365  cents  every 
year — but  five  cents  from  each,  not  once  a  day,  or 
once  a  year,  but  once  m  a  life-tiine — five  cents,  the 
despised  nickle  that  we  hand  out  so  readily  for  a 
street-car  fare  or  the  daily  paper — and  $50,000, 
twice  the  amount  asked  for,  would  be  in  our  hands 
for  this  building. 

When  the  Tabernacle  was  built,  thirty-four  cen- 
turies ago,  the  people  came,  *  As  many  as  were 
willing-hearted,  and  brought  bracelets  and  ear-rings 
and  rings,  all  jewels  of  gold.'  'And  they  made 
the  laver  of  brass  of  the  looking-glasses  of  the 
women  assembling.'*  O  for  some  such  wave  of 
heavenly  willing-heartedness  to  sweep  over  Chris- 
tian women  to-day!  If  the  bushels  of  unused  jew- 
elry belonging  to  the  women  of  our  church  to-day 
the  surplus,  cast-off  trinkets  laid  away  in  jewel- 
cases,  if  these  could  be  brought,  how  quickly  could 
the  foundation  of  the  building  be  laid  in  them! 
Pauls  direction  was:  *  Let  every  one  of  you  give.' 
If  every  one  would  only  give  something,  no  matter 
how  little!  Then  there  would  be  money  enough 
and  to  spare!" 

Mrs.  E.  E.  Marcy,  of  Evanston,  an  active  and 
ingenious  member  of  our  Committee  made  a  clip- 
ping of  this,  and  pasted  it  in  the  front  of  a  little 
blank  book,  intending  it  for  her  own  personal  use 
in    collecting   nickles  for    the    new   building.      We 

*  Ejcodus  XXXV  :  22,  and  xxxviii  :  8. 


72  Deaconesses. 

caught  the  idea  at  once.  Mr.  Meyer  had  a  thou- 
sand copies  struck  off,  and  we  pasted  them  in  cheap 
little  books  and  sent  them  over  the  country  to  gather 
the  nickels.  This  plan  brought  us  nearly  $3,000  for 
the  new  building,  within  a  year. 

The  institution  was  very  small,  but  our  ambition 
was  large.  A  formal  meeting  of  our  Executive 
Board  was  called  in  the  house,  while  it  was  almost 
empty,  for  the  only  furniture  was  that  possessed  by 
us  personally — only  half  sufficient  for  two  or  three 
rooms.  However,  we  called  the  meeting;  and  a 
dining-table  and  chairs,  and  a  set  of  dishes  preceded 
the  Committee  by  a  few  hours.  We  borrowed 
spoons  and  napkins,  boiled  the  coffee  on  the  little 
kerosene  stove,  the  only  one  we  had  for  weeks 
both  for  cooking  and  heating,  and  held  our  first 
social  gathering,  discussing  great  questions,  while 
under  our  breath  we  asked  our  neighbor  for  a  spoon 
with  which  to  stir  the  sugar  from  the  bottom  of  our 
coffee  cups.  We  adjourned  from  the  dining-room 
to  the  back  parlor,  over  the  floor  of  which  a  carpet 
was  loosely  spread.  This  room  was  elegantly  fur- 
nished with  hard  wooden  chairs  and  a  dry-goods 
box  desk  before  mentioned.  A  curtain  of  sheets 
hid  from  our  view  the  alcove,  which  contained  boxes 
and  barrels  almost  innumerable,  and  quite  inde- 
scribable. This  committee  meeting  resulted  in  fur- 
nishing comfortably  two  floors  of  the  house — quite 


Our   Own  Hired  House.  73 

sufficient  for  the  number  of  students  expected  at 
the  opening  of  the  school.  Most  of  the  furniture 
given  at  first  came  from  the  large-hearted  mem- 
bers of  our  Board,  and  the  friends  whom  they  per- 
sonally interested  in  the  institution.  The  front 
parlor  was  devoted  to  classroom  purposes,  and  its 
furniture  consisted  only  of  blackboard,  instructor's 
table,  and  chairs — unless  indeed  the  paint  which  Mr. 
Meyer  himself  put  on  the  floor  in  anticipation  of  the 
hard  wood  floors  that  were  to  come,  may  be  reck- 
oned as  furniture. 

The  school  was  formally  opened  by  a  lecture 
from  Dr.  P.  H.  McGrew,  on  the  evening  of  October 
20th,  1885.  We  had  issued  a  great  many  invitations 
for  the  occasion,  and  I  insisted  that  all  the  chairs  in 
the  house  should  be  brought  into  the  double  parlors, 
in  anticipation  of  a  crowd.  There  were  but  three 
persons  present,  however,  beside  our  own  family. 
I  was  unspeakably  disappointed,  at  the  attendance; 
the  lecture  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  But  my 
husband  comforted  me  by  assuring  me  that  the  only 
occasion  for  wonder  was,  that  there  were  so  many, 
considering  the  exceedingly  short  time  that  had 
elapsed  since  the  school   was  definitely  announced. 

The  next  day  our  school  began  in  earnest, 
arrangements  for  classes  were  made,  and  the  portions 
of  house-work  assigned.  When  our  numbers  were 
so  few  and  the  work  was  so  new  to  me,  I  used  to 


74  Deaconesses. 

dread  greatly  the  assignment  of  the  difficult 
and  heavy  parts  of  the  house-work.  I  remember 
myself  scrambling  out  of  bed  morning  after  morning 
long  before  day-break,  and  rushing  down  to' the  cold 
dark  kitchen  to  get  breakfast,  because  I  did  not 
like  to  ask  any  of  the  students  to  do  it.  In  the 
class-room,  three  hours  every  morning  was  spent  in 
lectures  and  recitation,  the  general  plan  being  much 
the  same  as  that  followed  permanently.  Only  one 
hour,  or  at  most  two  hours  were  taken  by  the  resi- 
dent teachers,  as  we  understood  perfectly  that  the 
school  could  not  have  the  broad  character  which  we 
desired,  if  only  one  or  two  teachers  were  employed 
in  it.  The  ministers  and  teachers  and  physicians  of 
the  city  and  suburbs  were  laid  under  contribution, 
and  responded  nobly  to  our  request  for  unsalaried 
service,  and  thus  was  started  the  system  of  voluntary 
lectures,  which  has  now  for  four  years — Spring  of 
1889 — proved  such  a  success.  House  to  house  vis- 
itations was  even  at  the  first  a  marked  feature  of 
our  work.  All  the  students  visited  two  afternoons 
of  every  week.  In  these  early  days,  when  the  num- 
ber going  out  was  so  comparatively  few,  and  the 
machinery  very  simple,  we  gathered  always  in  the 
class-room  before  starting,  and  held  a  special  little 
prayer  service,  asking  for  direction  as  to  the  words 
we  spoke  and  the  tracts  we  gave.  It  was  new  work 
to  the  young  students,  and  if  the  truth  must  be  told, 


Our  Own  Hired  House.  75 

new  work  to  the  not  very  old  Principal.  We  felt 
the  need  of  special  direction,  and  our  weak  hands 
were  strengthened,  and  our  feeble  knees  confirmed 
by  this  waiting  upon  the  Lord.  To  visit  well,  is  a 
great  thing,  not  only  for  the  visited,  but  also  for  the 
visitor.  Nothing  develops  christian  life  more 
rapidly.  The  students  usually  dread  it  exceedingly 
at  first,  but  no  part  of  the  work  furnishes  more  solid 
enjoyment,  and  the  ladies  almost  invariably  learn  to 
like  it  very  much.  One  of  them  wrote  about  the 
work    that    first    winter: 

"  We  visited  twenty-one  families  to-day,  and  met 
with  Germans,  Bohemians,  Jews  and  Canadians, 
many  of  them  backslidden  Christians.  One  woman 
was  a  fortune-teller.  She  talked  incessantly  for 
fifteen  minutes.  We  watched  our  chance,  said  what 
we  could,  and  left  her  in  God's  hands.  We  gained 
admission  into  three  homes  by  asking  to  look  at  the 
pretty  babies.  We  met  one  woman  who  had  been 
sick  for  weeks.  We  prayed  with  her,  she  thanked 
us,  and  we  left  her  sobbing.  Prayer  almost  always 
melts  the  heart,  and  well  repays  the  effort  it  requires 
to  get  permission." 

Another  wrote: 

In  one  home  we  found  a  young  man  very  sick 
and  unsaved.  He  said  he  "  didn't  know  how" 
We  read  some  verses  from  the  Bible  and  prayed 
with  him,  explaining  as  well  as  we  could  how  simple 
the  way  of  salvation  is.  He  begged  us  to  call  again 
and  we  shall  try  to  do  so. 


76  Deaconesses. 

On  entering  another  home,  the  woman  said  she 
was  not  a  Christian  and  did  not  want  to  be;  that 
she  was  old  enough  to  take  care  of  herself.  We 
could  not  reply,  as  she  shut  the  door  at  once. 

In  one  instance  the  woman  came  to  the  door  of 
the  inner  hall  and  stood  and  talked  with  us,  though 
she  would  not  let  us  in.  She  acknowledged  that 
she  was  a  sinner.  We  asked  her  if  we  might  come 
in  and  pray.  After  much  hesitation  she  allowed  us 
to  do  so.  Before  we  left  she  seemed  under  deep 
conviction,  and  promised  she  would  read  a  certain 
chapter  of  the  Bible  for  herself,  and  send  us  word 
if  ever  she  needed  help  in  religious  things. 

Not  only  in  visitation,  but  in  the  Industrial  and 
Sunday  School  work,  many  amusing  and  many  per- 
plexing incidents  occurred,  and  were  duly  reported 
by  our  band.  One  of  the  girls  took  a  nevv^  Sunday- 
school  class,  and  thinking  she  would  begin  right, 
asked  a  bright  boy  if  he  could  give  the  names  of  the 
books  of  the  Bible.  "  No  ma'am,''  he  responded 
with  great  frankness.  "Can  you?"  Another  teacher 
tried  to  impress  her  class  of  boys  that  they  must 
pray  for  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  one  of  them  replied 
promptly,  "  My  father  don't  believe  in  ghosts."  The 
teacher  got  a  lesson  that  time,  not  the  boy.  A  vis- 
itor found  a  woman  one  day  struggling  with  two 
babies.  She  urged  her  rather  abruptly  to  be  a 
Christian,  and  was  electrified  with  the  response,  in 
an  aggrieved  tone  of  voice,  "  Be  a  Christian!  Look 
at   them    twins!"      Sometimes   I    think    the    Lord 


Our   Own  Hired  House.  77 

specially  allowed  us  to  run  into  these  funny  things, 
not  only  to  teach  us  better  to  adapt  our  methods  to 
those  we  were  to  reach,  but  also  because  He  knew 
how  much  good  it  would  do  us,  to  not  only  cry 
together  over  our  experiences,  as  we  met  at  night 
and  talked  them  over  around  the  tea-table,  but  also 
to  laugh  together  over  some  of  them.  Sym-patJiy  is 
2, feeling  zvith,  and  not  always  a  feeling  with  sadness. 
More  students  came  dropping  in,  and  our  family 
increased  to  an  even  dozen;  but  above  this  we  could 
not  seem  to  rise.  The  experience  of  George  Mueller 
began  to  be  duplicated  in  our  midst.  It  is  said  that 
after  his  first  Orphans'  Home  was  ready  at  Bristol, 
not  an  orphan  appeared  to  enjoy  its  advantages,  and 
he  was  compelled  to  ask  God  more  earnestly  for  the 
orphans,  than  he  ever  had  for  the  home.  So  we 
prayed  earnestly  for  pupils,  fearing  lest  the  whole 
movement  might  fall  to  the  ground,  for  want  of 
suitable  students.  But  it  was  not  until  months  had 
passed,  and  some  advance  in  our  faith  had  been 
made,  in  that  we  were  willing  to  receive  students 
who  could  not  pay  their  way,  and  trust  to  the  help 
of  God,  and  the  liberality  of  His  children  to  create 
a  Students'  Aid  fund,  from  which  to  draw  for  their 
expenses,  that  they  began  again  to  come  to  us.  But 
in  the  spring  the  house  was  quite  full — every  room; 
and  some  of  the  larger  rooms  were  crowded  with 
four  students. 


78  Deaconesses. 

In  January,  1886,  we  published  our  first  issue  of 
The  Message^  full  of  incidents  occurring  in  our  daily 
history,  and  of  efforts  to  push  the  Nickle  Fund. 
The  publication  of  The  Message  was  considered  a 
very  risky  experiment,  and  the  Board  was  a  little 
fearful  as  to  incurring  so  great  a  financial  responsi- 
bility. Believing  that  the  paper  might  be  made 
self-supporting  we  quietly  continued  its  publication, 
and  after  the  first  few  issues,  our  hopes  were  real- 
ized. It  was  not  a  very  imposing  sheet,  * 'just  big 
enough  for  a  capital  tract,"  as  one  of  the  friends 
-said — a  remark  which  we  did  not  know  whether  to 
consider  complimentary  or  not. 

The  Journal  of  the  School  formed  the  largest  part 
of  the  early  issues  of  the  Message.  We  quote  largely 
from  the  first: 

OUR  FIRST  EIGHT  WEEKS. 


October  20^  1885, 
To-day,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  the  Chicago 
Training  School  for  Christian  Women  has  been 
opened.  We  feel  like  beginning  a  record  of  the 
fact  as  they  begin  wills,  by  saying,  "In  the  name  of 
God,  Amen."  For  surely,  never  was  enterprise  un- 
dertaken more  "in  the  name  of  God."  And  none 
was  never  more  absolutely  dependent  on  the  power 
of  that  Name  for  success. 

Our  house  is  very  home-like  and  comfortable. 
We  have  made  our  large  sunny  front  parlor  the 
class  room.  Bro.  Simmons  has  very  kindly  furnished 


Oitr   Oivji  Hired  House. 


79 


it  for  us,  with  good  class-chairs,  table  and  black- 
board. Counting  this  room,  nine  of  our  rooms  are 
nearly  furnished.  In  the  back  parlor  the  camp- 
meeting  curtain  of  sheets  still  keeps  its  place  before 
the  alcove,  but  it  will  give  way  when  Mrs.  Smith 
comes  from  Kalamazoo,  and  completes  the  furnishing 
of  her  two  rooms.  Up  stairs,  Mrs.  Hobbs  has  beau- 
tifully furnished  the  large  front  room  and  alcove.  The 
regions  down  stairs  are  cheerful  with  our  pretty 
crockery  and  shining  new  silver,  and  generous  range 
— all  given. 

Five  pupils  form  our  first  class,  reckoning  Miss 
Howard  who  is  studying  medicine  for  the  foreign 
field.  We  look  forward  with  confidence,  to  the 
time  when  this  number  will  be  multiplied  ten-fold. 
The  Lord  hasten  it  in  His  day! 

October  2/ 

Class  exercises  commence  to-day. 

Here  is  a  rough  outline  of  our  weekly  program: 


MON. 

TUES. 

Wed. 

Thttrs, 

Friday 

Saturday 

9-10 

Medical 
Lecture. 

Medical 
Lecture. 

Bible 
History 

S.  S. 
Lesson 

Church 
History 

10-11 

Lecture* 

Lecture. 

Lecture. 

Lecture 

Lecture 

11-13 

Bible. 

Bible. 

Bible. 

Bible. 

Bible 

2-3 

Visita- 
tion. 

Visita- 
tion 

Industrial 
Schools. 

3-4 

Visita- 
tion. 

Visita- 
tion 

Industrial 
Schools 

7:30 

Sing-ing 
Practice 

Prayer 

Family 
Meeting 

*  Such    as  Theory    of   Domestic    lndustr3-,    Kinder-garten   Work, 
Temperance,  Bible  Evidences,  Bible  Interpretation,  Etc.,  Etc. 


80  Deaconesses. 

October  25. 
An  old  friend  sent  fifty  dollars  for  the  School — 
just  enough  for  November's  rent.  This  is  as  unex- 
pected as  was  the  one  hundred  dollars  from  the  Ann 
Arbor  lady  just  before  the  school  opened.  How- 
little  we  know  of  the  resources  of  the  Lord  ! 

October  2"] . 
Plans  are  maturing  to  bring  in,  if  possible,  some 
of  the  girls  who  want  to  come  to  the  school,  but 
who  cannot  for  lack  of  means.  The  only  way  to 
help  them  here  is  to  do  without  a  Matron,  and  have 
two  of  them  come  and  work  for  their  board.  The 
Board  of  Managers  question  this  plan,  and  it  could 
not  be  done  with  less  devoted  and  mature  girls. 
Miss  Holding  has  been  appointed  house-keeper. 
She  buys  the  food  and  plans  the  meals.  Mrs. 
Meyer's  mother  is  also  a  great  help.  She  is  a  real 
mother  in  our  home.  Still  another  pupil  to-day, — 
three  since  school  opened. 

October  jo 
Our  first  family  prayer-meeting.       Some   of  the 
girls  are,  naturally,  very  homesick,  but  we  could  see 
their  faces  grow  bright  during  the  short  meeting. 

November  j. 
Two  of  the  girls  found  to-day,  in  their  visits,  a 
poor  woman,  a  Christian,  who  had  not  been  to 
church  or  heard  a  prayer  for  a  long  time.  So  they 
knelt  right  down  and  prayed  with  her.  We  are 
greatly  pleased  with  the  missionary  spirit  they  show. 
Mrs.  D.  called  and  told  us  how  the  Lord  had  put  it 


Our   Own  Hired  House.  81 

into  her  heart  to  send  us  some  furniture.  It  has 
come  just  when  needed,  for  the  new  girls  on  the 
upper  floor. 

November  ^. 

Good  news  from  two  directions.  Miss  Lathbury 
writes  from  the  East  that  the  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  passed  a  resolution  of  sympathy  and 
encouragement  at  Philadelphia  last  week;  and  we 
are  also  thankful  to  learn  that  the  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  has  taken  the  same  action  at 
Evanston.  We  celebrated  the  good  news  by  visiting 
Evanston  in  a  body.  The  girls  are  very  enthusi- 
astic over  the  meeting  and  we  have  all  gained  new 
inspiration  from  this  day  of  "communion  of  saints." 

We  fear  the  health  of  one  of  the  girls  will  not  be 
sufficient  for  missionary  work.  We  are  sorry,  but 
that  is  one  of  the  objects  of  the  school,  to  test  the 
girls,  physically,  as  well  as  mentally  and  spiritually. 

November  6. 
The  morning  mail  brought  a  most  encouraging 
letter  from  Mrs.  Fowler,  saying  that  she  sends  our 
treasurer  a  check  for  $ioo.  This  is  a  deliverance. 
It  is  very  precious  to  notice  how  the  Lord  supplies 
our  wants  from  day  to  day.  Bills  had  been  accu- 
mulating for  incidentals,  printing  and  postage,  to 
about  one  hundred  dollars,  and  only  last  night  we 
had  reluctantly  concluded  that  they  must  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Treasurer,  at  Oak  Park.  So  they 
were  in  an  envelope,  all  addressed,  when  this  letter, 
telling  about  the  money  to  pay  them,  came,  to  be 
enclosed  and  sent  with  them.  If  this  is  a  "coinci- 
dence," it  is  one  of  God's  coincidences. 


82  Deaconesses. 

November  7. 

Miss  Lawson,  under  appointment  for  India, 
came  to-day  for  a  short  stay.  The  girls  are  prac- 
tising map-drawing  this  week.  I  am  afraid  Abra- 
ham would  hardly  acknowledge  some  of  the  jour- 
neys we  make  him  take  over  our  blackboard.  But 
we  are  improving. 

November  p. 

Dr.  Long  came  this  morning.  This  makes 
eleven  girls  in  the  school.  Neither  she  nor  Miss 
Lawson  could  bring  bedding,  and  we  had  exhausted 
our  private  supply  for  some  of  the  other  girls  who 
were  short;  so,  in  the  emergency,  our  furnishing 
committee  ordered  sheeting  and  comforters  of 
Marshall  Field  &  Co.  It  seems  necessary,  even 
though  we  do  not  know  where  the  money  is  coming 
from.  If  some  of  these  good  Chicago  people  only 
knew  our  needs,  how  quickly  they  would  help  us. 

November  10. 
Miss  Holbrook,  from  Japan,  took  tea  with  us, 
and  in  the  evening  gave  us  an  admirable  talk  on 
her  mission  field. 

November  12. 
We  have  been  very,  very  busy  all  these  weeks 
getting  the  "Nickel  Fund"  started,  {ox\N^must  have 
a  building  or  a  larger  house  next  year.  Miss 
Holding  has  been  an  invaluable  assistant  in  this. 
She  has  written  hundreds  of  letters.  Surely  the  Lord 
sent  her  to  us. 

But  the  writing  is  not  so  formidable  as  the  post- 
age bill.  Forty  dollars  for  postage  in  two  short 
months!      But   it   will  not  soon  again  be  quite  so 


Our   Oiun  Hired  House.  83 

much  as  that.  We  have  nearly  3oo  Nickel  Books 
out  now,  and  they  must  bring  us  some  hundreds,  if 
not  thousands  of  dollars.  None  of  this  Fund  sub- 
scription, however,  can  be  used  for  our  current 
expenses,  as  it  is  pledged  for  a  building. 

Surely  this  postage  is  well  spent,  though  it 
frightens  us  sometimes  till  we  think  of  what  the  man 
of  God  said  to  Amaziah,  "The  Lord  is  able  to  give 
thee  much  more  than  this." 

November  ij. 

A  dear  lady  in  Iowa  sends  two  dollars  and  a  half 
**with  earnest  prayer  for  the  school."  This  small 
gift  is  a  great  encouragement  to  us.  Much  of  our 
support  may  come  in  this  way — small  contributions 
from  those  whose  hearts  God  will  touch. 

Tuesday,  November  ly. 
A  memorable  day,  because  this  evening  occurred 
our  first  Reception,  very  unlike  the  formal  soci- 
ety gatherings  that  are  called  by  that  name.  The 
girls  had  prepared  a  little  lunch,  very  simple,  but 
we  judge  from  the  most  convincing  kind  of  proof, 
very  acceptable;  and  the  company  were  discovering 
its  merits  when  Dr.  Vincent  rang  the  bell.  We  were 
very  glad  to  see  him,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  broken 
bread  with  us  he  made  a  little  speech — little  in  size 
but  great  in  sympathy  and  in  thoughts.  Dr.  Ala- 
baster also  spoke  during  the  evening,  and  so  did 
dear  Miss  Dryer.  And  Prof  Bradley  ended,  with  the 
crowning  thought  that  all  intellectual  culture  amounts 
to  nothing  without  the  vivifying  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  O,  that  we  may  never  loose  sight  of 
this  great  truth.     Surely  the  Blessed  Spirit  has  been 


84  Deaconesses. 

with  us  to-night.       He  has  blessed  our  gathering, 
and  He  will  make  the  memory  of  it  a  lasting  joy 

November  rp. 

Dear  Auntie  C.  is  evidently  planning  to  furnish 
the  little  room  at  the  head  of  the  stairs .  She  is 
sending  one  thing  after  another.  It  means  much  to 
have  the  furniture  of  a  room  reflect  the  loving 
thought  of  a  friend. 

Wednesday ,  November  2^. 

We  have  finished  the  study  of  Genesis,  and 
to-day  Mrs.  Meyer  examined  the  class.  Here  are 
some  of  the  questions: 

Draw  a  map  of  the  Old  Testament  world. 
Locate  on  it  ten  cities.  Give  the  origin  of  the  name 
"Genesis. "  In  what  language  was  the  book  writ- 
ten? Is  work  anywhere  in  the  Bible  called  a  curse? 
Name  the  ten  * 'first  things"  mentioned  in  the  fourth 
chapter  of  Genesis.  (First  baby,  murder,  city,  big- 
amist, smith,  poetry,  etc.)  What  two  instances  of 
giving  tithes  found  in  Genesis? 

The  girls  are  full  of  a  pleased  bustle  about  our 
Thanksgiving  celebration  to-morrow.  Dear  Mrs. 
H.  sent  a  $2  bill  in  a  letter  yesterday  as  a  beginning 
for  our  dinner.  She  constantly  reminds  me  of  what 
the  poor  man  whose  wife  had  put  a  $5  gold  piece 
into  the  collection  box,  said,  to  the  patronizing 
pastor  who  tried  to  give  him  back  the  money,  think- 
ing it  was  a  mistake:  "  When  my  wife  flings  in, 
she  flings  in!"  Besides  this  $2,  our  other  Mrs.  H. 
has  sent  us  a  package  of  groceries.  Miss  Holding  had 
quite  set  her  heart  on  a  turkey — she  had  received  a 
slight  hint  that  one  might  be  sent — but  after  waiting 


Our   Own  Hired  House.  85 

till  late  in  the  afternoon  her  faith  in  the  hint  quite 
failed,  and  she  ordered  one.  After  tea,  however, 
there  came  a  smiling  expressman — who,  by  the 
way,  would  take  nothing  for  his  services — with  a 
barrel  of  apples,  a  great  bunch  of  celery,  a  bag  of 
cranberries,  and  a  Turkey  that  we  spell  with  a  cap- 
ital; fbr,  as  he  held  it  up,  it  was  about  as  long  as  he 
was.  Dr.  P.  and  Bro.  B — t  had  sent  them  with  a 
pleasant  note,  which  the  man  discovered  from  the 
inside  of  his  cap.  Lizzie  felt  quite  rebuked  for  her 
lack  of  faith  and  hastened  to  countermand  her  order. 

Thtirsday ,  November  26. 
The  first  Thanksgiving  day  in  the  school.  We 
nearly  all  attended  church  in  the  morning,  and  later 
sat  down  to  the  dinner  that  our  hands  had  prepared. 
It  adds  wonderfully  to  the  home  feeling  that  we 
have  no  servant,  but  do  nearly  all  our  own  work. 
It  is  doubtful  if  fourteen  happier  or  more  grateful 
hearts  exist  to-day  than  those  that  surrounded  our 
Thanksgiving  board.  Nearly  every  one  felt  that, 
next  to  personal  salvation,  the  thing  most  to  be 
grateful  for  was  the  establishment  of  this  school — it 
is  so  manifestly  "  the  Lord's  doing. "  Three  months 
ago  it  existed  only  in  thought;  yet  here  we  are,  an 
organized  school,  with  regular  classes,  and  with 
teachers  and  lecturers,  among  the  best  in  the  city. 
It  is  a  sweet  Christian  home,  with  all  the  rest.  We 
want  to  be  a  real  Beth-El — House  of  God — in  every 
room  of  which  He  can  dwell  all  the  time.  Just  as 
we  were  finishing  our  dinner,  a  wagon  loaded  with 
vegetables  and  provisions  drove  up  to  the  door. 
We  thought  it   was  a  huckster,   but  no,  the  whole 


86  Deaconesses. 

load  was  for  us,  a  gift  from  the  Oak  Park  people. 
Our  dinner  party  broke  up  in  the  excitement.  The 
Lord  bless  the  friends,  and  make  their  Thanksgiv- 
ing rich  and  sweet,  as  they  have  made  ours. 

Friday,  November  2'J . 
The  Sunday-school  lesson  and  other  classes  as 
usual  to-day.  Strangely  enough,  we  have  begun  to 
pray  about  the  rent  money.  We  have  hardly  men- 
tioned money  matters  to  the  Lord  for  weeks,  except 
that  He  would  open  some  way  for  poor  students  to 
come  to  us. 

Saturday,  November  28. 

A  new  industrial  school  opened  to-day  at 
Douglas  Park  Mission,  with  thirty-six  in  attendance. 
The  children  came  with  little  thimbles,  and  needles 
stuck  into  the  edge  of  their  aprons,  just  as  directed. 
The  calico  we  had  for  them  to  "piece  up,"  was 
printed  with  heads  of  dogs  and  kittens,  and  inter- 
ested them  vastly.  We  are  arranging  kindergarten 
occupations  for  the  very  tiniest  boys  and  girls  next 
Saturday.  A  letter  came  from  our  treasurer  asking 
us  to  pray  for  the  rent  money,  which  is  short  $9. 
We  have  already  been  doing  so. 

Monday,  Nov.  jo. 
Brother  B.  called  to-day,  and  we  had  a  long 
talk  over  the  rent  money.  The  monthly  rental  due 
to-morrow  is  $50.  A  week  ago  there  was  in  the 
treasury  $36.  Then  came  the  $10  from  the  ladies 
in  Freeport,  and  $5  from  Mrs.  B.,  of  Rockford,  a 
total  of  $51.  We  were  rejoicing  over  this  sufficient 
amount,  when  a  letter  came   from   Freeport   saying 


Our   Own   Hired  House.  67 

that  on  no  account  must  the  $io  be  used  for  rent, 
as  it  was  given  for  furniture.  We  have  therefore 
appHed  it  on  the  bill  for  Dr.  Long's  room — it  will 
come  in  very  providentially  there — but  it  leaves  the 
rent-money  $9  short.  It  was  suggested  that  we 
apply  to  friends  for  it.  But  no,  Bro.  B.  said  we  had 
asked  the  Lord  and  we  would  not  ask  anybody  else. 
So  the  matter  rests. 

Tuesday,  December  i. 

This  afternoon,  while  in  our  room  for  prayer, 
making  special  mention  of  this  deficiency  in  the 
rent,  the  pastor  of  Western  Avenue  church  called, 
and  handed  us  $21.08,  the  proceeds  of  a  collection 
taken  for  the  school,  at  the  union  service  in  his 
church  on  Thanksgiving  day.  We  had  looked  for 
the  money  in  the  morning  mail,  but  it  never  occurred 
to  us  that  he  might  be  the  bearer  of  it,  so  we  were 
intensely  surprised.  A  peculiar  sense  of  the  near- 
ness of  God  came  over  us.  Mr.  Meyer  laughingly 
said  afterward  that  we  must  not  show  so  much  emo- 
tion, or  the  people  would  all  see  how  little  faith  we 
had  that  our  own  prayers  would  be  answered.  The 
good  news  spread  rapidly  over  the  house,  and  as  the 
door  closed  after  the  good  pastor,  we  met  a  troop 
of  rejoicing  girls,  for  the  students,  too,  had  all  been 
praying  about  it.  This  money  is  enough,  not  only 
for  the  rent,  but  for  the  gas  and  water  bills,  which 
are  also  due.  Our  board  bill  takes  care  of  itself, 
but  we  still  need  money  for  coal  and  for  next  month's 
rent;  and  especially  for  the  support  of  those  who 
want  to  come  to  us,  but  who  cannot  pay  their  way. 
Our  faith  is  strengthened  to  ask  the  Lord  for  all 
this.      How    easily  He  can   move   upon  a  hundred 


88  Deaconesses. 

people  to  send  each  a  dollar,  or  one  man  to  send  a 
hundred  dollars!  Or  a  thousand  either,  for  that 
matter. 

December  2. 

Miss  Pace  and  Dr.  L.  leave  us  to-day,  the  former 
to  be  with  her  widowed  mother,  the  latter  to  resume 
her  practice  at  home  until  her  field  of  mission  work 
is  more  definitely  settled.  We  have  now  room  for 
six  more  students.  May  the  Lord  speedily  send  us 
such  as  He  has  called. 

December  5. 

The  girls  report  much  interest  in  the  Industrial 
schools.  The  little  children  at  the  Park  begin  per- 
forating the  Scripture  text-cards,  to-day. 

Those  blessed  Northfield  people!  Mrs.  Meyer 
sent  her  own  Nickel  Fund  Subscription  book  to 
them  some  weeks  ago  and  they  have  just  returned 
it  with  $20  subscribed  —  much  more  than  she 
expected.  Dear  Mr.  Marshall,  the  Treasurer  of  the 
School,  made  it  up  to  twenty  by  giving  ever  so  much 
himself.  One  grateful  household  will  pray  for  him, 
and  for  them  all,  in  that  wonderful  School. 

December  6. 
Very  cold.  Miss  Lawrence  quite  sick.  The  Lord 
is  trying  our  faith  in  this.  But  though  confined  to 
her  bed  for  days  she  declares  she  is  not  homesick  at 
all,  and  is  very  glad  she  came  to  us.  Miss  B.  also, 
who  works  for  her  board,  and  whom  we  have  some- 
times almost  pitied,  surprised  and  warmed  our  hearts 
to-day  by  exclaiming  to  Mrs.  M.:  "O,  I'm  so  glad 
I'm  here!  I  should  want  to  stay  if  I  had  to  work 
twice  as  hard!" 


*"       Our  Ozvn  Hired  House.  89 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Estey  giving  us  the  use  of  an 
organ  as  long  as  we  want  it.  Mrs.  Meyer  took  the 
letter  down-town  to  the  store  as  he  directed,  and 
received  a  double  gift.  First,  the  organ,  which  she 
herself  selected,  not  large,  but  with  an  amazing 
amount  of  sweetness  wrapped  up  in  its  shining 
body;  second,  a  new  appreciation  of  the  power  of 
a  Name.  She  walked  into  the  store  with  about 
fifty  cents  in  her  pocket.  The  clerk  met  her  very 
politely,  but  he  would  never  have  thought  of  giving 
her  anything  if  she  had  not  had  Mr.  Estey 's  name 
behind  her.  She  presented  the  letter.  He  read  it, 
and  forthwith,  anything  she  wanted  in  the  store  was 
hers.  Mr.  Estey  said,  "Give  Mrs.  Meyer  what  she 
needs,"  and  signed  his  name.  And  all  she  had  to 
do  was  to  walk  up-stairs  and  select  what  she  needed, 
and  it  was  ours  to  enjoy,  by  the  power  of  his  name. 
Will  our  Heavenly  Father  do  less  in  honor  of  the 
Name  of  His  Son?  Has  he  not  said,  in  almost  the 
words  Mr.  Estey  used,  '*My  God  shall  supply  all 
your  7teed^''  and  given,  besides,  the  promise,  "What- 
soever ye  shall  ask  in  my  Name"? 


Many  of  the  incidents  mentioned  in  this  journal 
were  the  occasions  of  great  rejoicing,  perhaps  none 
more  so  than  the  gift  of  the  organ  from  Mr.  Estey. 
Before  it  came,  our  singing  had  excelled  in  quavers 
and  semi-quavers  only,  for  none  of  us  were  great 
musicians,  but  we  gained  confidence  very  percepti- 
bly upon  the  addition  of  this  excellent  instrument. 


90  Deaconesses. 

With^he  enlarged  needs  of  the  school,  Kimball  & 
Co.,  sent  another  organ,  then  a  piano  came  all  the 
way  from  Kansas,  then  another  organ,  the  gift  of 
a  lady  from  Rockford.  For  every  one  of  these  there 
was  a  need,  as  our  Home  enlarged.  If  we  had  had 
a  piano  and  organ  factory  at  our  command,  our 
needs  could  hardly  have  been  supplied  in  a  more 
munificent  and  timely  way. 

After  a  few  months'  trial  we  found  that  our  plan 
of  meeting  the  expenses  of  board  fuel  and  gas,  by 
the  $2.75  or  $3.00  the  students  paid  weekly  for  board, 
was  successful.  But  this  was  by  no  means  all  the 
money  outgo  that  was  necessary.  We  had  to  meet, 
by  voluntary  contributions,  the  expense  of  furnish- 
ing the  house,  paying  large  postage  and  printer's 
bills,  and  the  ever  recurring  monthly  rent.  And 
this  at  a  time  when  the  institution  was  known  to 
comparatively  few.  But  we  seemed  to  be — shall  I 
hesitate  to  say  we  were — God's  special  care,  and  all 
our  wants  were  supplied.  Some  of  the  gifts  that 
came  had  most  touching  stories  connected  with 
them.  One  mother  sent  a  watch  and  chain,  with  a 
brief  little  note,  saying:  "I  am  very  glad  to  send  it 
as  a  memorial  of  my  precious  little  daughter,  now  in 
heaven."  Another  gift  that  seemed  very  sacred  to 
us,  was  $5.00  from  a  stranger,  a  missionary  in  Bul- 
garia. During  all  our  history,  missionaries  have  been 
among  our  most  devoted  friends  and  liberal  helpers. 


Our  Oivn  Hired  House,  91 

There  were  the  dark  days,  however,  whefi  the 
bills  pressed  and  the  treasury  was  empty.  I  remem- 
ber that  on  one  of  these,  I  thought  it  necessary  to 
take  a  long  trip,  though  it  was  bitterly  cold,  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  city  in  the  effort  to  see  a  lady 
concerning  some  matter  connected  with  a  new  ap- 
plicant for  admission.  I  failed  to  find  her  in,  and 
began  my  return  trip,  cold  and  cheerless,  and  more 
nearly  wretched  than  I  had  been  for  many  a  day. 
The  thought  was  almost  irresistible,  why  did  my 
Heavenly  Father  let  me  take  this  long  cheerless 
journey  in  vain?  But  an  old  friend  happened — I 
wonder  if  Christians  ought  ever  to  use  that  word — 
to  be  in  the  street-car  that  I  entered,  and  he  asked 
me  in  his  cheery  way  how  we  were  getting  along. 
He  seemed  very  inquisitive,  wanting  to  know  ex- 
actly how  much  a  month's  expenses  were,  and  when 
I  could  not  give  the  precise  amount,  he  laughed  at 
me  for  my  poor  business  head.  However,  he  said 
he  intended  to  send  me  a  few  stamps,  just  to  show 
his  good  will.  And  sure  enough  the  few  stamps 
came  next  day,  a  crisp  new  $100.00  check.  The 
answer  to  my  questioning  had  come,  a  prompt 
and  loving  rebuke  to  my  lack  of  faith. 

In  all  embarrassments,  our  students  were  the 
greatest  possible  help  and  comfort,  fully  imbibing 
the  spirit  of  the  Home,  and  joining  with  us  in  our 
anxieties  and  prayers. 


92  Deaconesses. 

At  one  time  we  were  much  annoyed  by  an  end- 
less procession  of  beggars  and  peddlers,  who  kept 
our  door-bell  in  a  constant  jingle,  notwithstanding 
the  general  rule  we  were  obliged  to  make,  even  so 
early,  that  no  money  whatever  should  be  given  to 
any  one  at  the  door.  At  the  prayer  meeting  that 
week  one  of  the  students  told  with  the  utmost  sim- 
plicity, how  she  had  been  praying  the  Lord  for  a 
large  gift  to  the  Home,  and  in  order  that  she  might 
not  forget  the  matter,  she  had  resolved  that  every 
time  she  heard  the  door-bell  ring  she  would  send  a 
prayer  heavenward  for  this  one  thing.  And  sure 
enough  it  came.  The  Lord  sent  us  that  week,  in 
one  sum,  a  gift  of  $ioo.  It  seemed  very  large  to 
us  at  that  time,  and  greatly  relieved  us  in  paying 
our  printing  and  postage  bill.  At  the  close  of  the 
year  we  were  able  to  report  to  our  committee  all 
bills  paid. 


CHAPTER    VTII. 

A  "cottage  in  this  wilderness." 

As  Spring  approached,  the  crowded  condition 
of  the  house,  and  the  interest  manifested  in  the 
school  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  made  it  evident 
that  much  larger  quarters  must  be  secured  for  an- 
other year.  It  seemed  preposterous  to  expect  that 
our  little  nest  egg,  the  nickel  fund,  would  so  soon 
hatch  out  into  the  $25,000,  that  we  estimated  the 
permanent  building  would  cost.  But  the  house  we 
desired  could  not  be  found  for  rent  at  any  cost,  and 
the  board  of  management  were  thus  compelled  to 
believe  that  it  was  God's  will  that  they  should  buy 
and  build.  Our  faith  was  greatly  strengthened  by 
the  first  large  gift  we  had  ever  received,  $3,000  from 
Mrs.  Adeline  M.  Smith,  of  Oak  Park,  and  a  second 
gift  of  $2,000  from  Mrs.  Wm.  E.  Blackstone,  her 
daughter.  Members  of  an  elect  family,  mother  and 
daughter,  eternity  alone  will  reveal  all  they  have  done 
for  the  school  and  for  us,  by  their  constant  sympathy 
and  generous  help.  Mr.  Blackstone,  Mr.  Elderkin 
and  Dr.  Parkhurst  added  their  encouragement  as 
business  men.    Without  the  help  received  from  these 


94  Deaconesses. 

men,  the    school  could    have  hardly   existed    in  its 
present  prosperous  condition. 

This  $5,000  gift,  with  the  first  thousand  that 
came  in  from  the  nickel  fund,  was  sufficient  to  buy 
an  exceedingly  desirable  lot,  at  the  corner  of  Ohio 
street  and  Dearborn  Avenue.  The  location  was 
chosen  because  it  was  in  a  good  residence  locality, 
and  yet  within  a  few  minutes'  walk  of  the  street-car 
lines  to  all  parts  of  the  city,  thus  saving  both  time 
and  car-fare  for  our  students  as  they  went  three  or 
four  times  a  week,  to  their  practical  work  in  all 
parts  of  the  city. 

And  now  came  a  promise  of  another  gift,  veri- 
fied in  due  time,  $1,000  from  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society,  increased  to  $1,250  by  the  ener- 
getic interest  of  our  friend,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Marcy.  With 
this  before  us  we  enthusiastically  decided  to  build 
on  our  lot,  and  the  year's  session  of  school  was 
closed  the  last  of  April,  and  our  rented  house  given 
up  in  the  hope  that  in  the  Fall  we  should  be  in  our 
new  home. 

Our  first  commencement  was  a  conspicous  fail- 
ure in  some  respects.  The  president  of  the  society 
was  absent  attending  an  indignation  meeting  over 
some  municipal  oppression  of  the  Salvation  Army 
— we  could  not  blame  him  for  that,  though  we 
missed  him  greatly.  His  example  of  absence,  how- 
ever, was  followed  by  so  many,  that  our   little  class 


A    Cotta<jc  in  this    Wilderness.  95 

of  less  than  fifteen  formed  a  great  part  of  the 
audience  assembled.  Bishop  Bowman,  our  beloved 
senior  Bishop,  gave  the  address  of  the  evening,  and 
in  that  respect  the  Commencement  was  a  brilliant 
success.  There  was  no  graduating  class  of  course, 
but  it  was  a  eonwiencement,  and  as  we  look  back 
upon  it,  the  very  fact  that  it  was,  at  all,  seems  to  us 
the  greatest  of  successes. 

During  the  summer,  the  school  was  in  suspension, 
and  we  were  in  suspense,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
in  May,  1886,  the  Haymarket  riot  occurred, 
and  it  was  months  before  the  building  operations  of 
the  city  resumed  their  normal  tone.  This  greatly 
delayed  the  w'ork  on  the  house  and  for  a  time  it 
seemed  that  our  summer  suspension  might  become 
the  sleep  of  death.  Just  at  this  time  in  our  history, 
however,  an  unexpected  gift  of  $1,000  was  given 
in  beautiful  spirit  by  a  young  lady  in  the  city,  and 
the  stimulus  was  sufficient  to  tide  us  over  the  criti- 
cal period.  The  contracts  were  let,  and  by  the 
first  of  July  the  first  spade  wasactually  put  into  the 
ground.  I  went  East  in  August,  to  talk  for  the 
school  wherever  an  opening  might  present  itself.  I 
had  not  a  large  stock  of  history  from  which  to  draw, 
but  I  revelled  in  prophecy,  and  used  to  the  best 
possible  advantage  what  little  history  I  had.  I 
remember  that  I  carried  about  in  my  pocket,  and 
exhibited  on    every  possible  occasion  a  tiny   bit  of 


96  Deaconesses. 

sandstone,  clipped  from  the  walls,  to  assure  myself 
as  well  as  others,  that  there  really  were  walls.  Many 
words  of  sympathy  and  a  good  deal  of  more  substan- 
tial aid  were  given,  and.  the  trip  was  a  decided 
success.  I  shall  never  forget  how  one  dear  lady  electri- 
fied me,  when  I  tremblingly  presented  my  five-cent 
subscription  book  to  her,  by  giving  me  one  hundred 
and  ten  dollars ;  and  her  daughter  like-minded,  added 
twenty-five  dollars,  and  even  the  grand  daughter 
twenty-five  cents.  The  whole  blessed  family  have 
been  warm  friends  of  the  school  ever  since,  helping 
both  by  money  and  influence. 

In  the  mean  time,  during  the  summer,  a  much 
larger  class  of  students  had  applied  for  admission, 
and  been  accepted.  We  had  advertised  the  opening 
of  the  school  in  October,  but  the  house  not  being 
ready,  it  was  delayed  again  and  again,  until  our 
patience  was  almost,  and  the  patience  of  some  of 
the  waiting  students  was  quite,  exhausted.  Details 
of  house-building  never  dreamed  of  before  were  in- 
voluntarily mastered  by  us  during  these  months  of 
waiting.  We  could  tell  to  the  fraction  of  a  day  just 
how  long  it  would  take  plaster  to  dry.  There  were 
other  and  more  dif^cult  problems,  however;  for 
example,  when  the  plaster  would  be  put  on.  We 
used  to  think  about  that  essay  which  made  such  a 
stir  years  ago,  on  "The  total  depravity  of  inanimate 
things;"  but  we  felt  that  there  was  nothing  on  earth 


A    Cottage  in  this    Wilderness.  97 

like  the  total  depravity  of  animate  things — carpen- 
ters, and  plasterers,  and  plumbers,  and  steam-boiler 
men,  and  butchers  and  bakers  and  candle-stick 
makers.  Pilgrimage  after  pilgrimage  was  made  to 
that  corner  of  Ohio  and  Dearborn  Avenue,  the  cen- 
tre of  our  hopes.  I  remember  well  one  frosty  Fall 
morning  when  I  watched  that  very  last  red  brick  go 
into  the  front  walls,  and  my  hopes  grew  bright 
when  finally  the  windows  went  in,  and  the  floors 
were  down.  In  the  mean  time  I  was  keeping  up  a 
brisk  correspondence  with  my  thirty  expected 
pupils,  endeavoring  in  every  possible  way  to  assure 
them  that  the  school  would  begin  sometime.  At  last 
the  eighth  of  December,  we  entered  the  house. 
There  was  not  a  knob  on  a  door,  nor  a  particle  of 
paint  on  any  part.  The  students  came  pouring  in,  and 
classes  began.  The  sound  of  the  workman's  ham- 
mer and  saw  mingled  with  our  songs  and  prayers, 
and  the  odor  of  paint  gave  flavor  to  our  class-room 
exercises  for  many  a  week.  To  quote  from  the 
Journal  of  these  days  again: 

"  Our  Sunday  School  lesson  was  about  Heaven, 
to-day.  Just  in  the  midst  of  it  came  a  terrible 
racket  from  the  saw  of  the  carpenter  near,  and  some 
body  gratefully  remarked  that  '  they  were  glad  the 
mansions  in  the  Father's  House  would  be  completed 
before  we  got  there.'  " 

During  the  later  winter  days  of  this  school  year, 
the  shadow  of  a  great    sorrow  fell  upon  us,  in    the 


98  Deaconesses. 

sickness  and  death  of  one  of  our  numberj  Miss 
Hettie  Cattell,  from  Damascus,  Ohio.  Miss  Cattell  was 
a  lady  of  rare  gifts — a  remarkable  Christian  woman. 
Her  health  was  really  too  delicate  for  her  to  have 
entered  the  school,  but  her  intense  desire  to  fit  her- 
self for  greater  usefulness,  led  her,  with  the  concur- 
rence of  her  physician,  to  come  to  us.  Her  death 
was  so  unexpected,  just  at  the  opening  of  the  year, 
that  it  tried  our  faith  greatly,  but  as  a  dear  friend 
said  at  the  informal  funeral  services,  "God  does  not 
ask  us  to  understand,  but  only  to  trust." 

February  15th,  was  set  apart  as  our  dedication 
day.  The  workmen  had  at  last  given  the  finishing 
touches,  and  we  had  made  all  the  preparations  possi- 
ble for  the  occasion.  The  day  was  ushered  in  by 
sunshine,  and  we  thanked  God  that  beautiful 
weather  was  to  be  in  our  favor,  but  in  a  few  hours 
it  began  to  rain.  It  was  not  an  intermittent  rainy 
day,  but  from  morning  until  night  it  rained  steadily, 
ending  with  a  tremendous  thunder  storm  just  as  the 
audience  was  dispersing  from  the  evening  services 
at  Grace  Church.  Notwithstanding  the  rain,  the 
Training  School  building  was  crowded  during  the 
day,  and  Bishop  Thoburn,  the  principal  speaker  of 
evening,  declared  that  he  had  never  known  so 
remarkable  an  audience  on  an  evening  of  such 
weather.  Our  addresses,  and  all  the  services  were 
beautiful,  we  thought,  and  though  very  little  money 


A    Cottage  in  this    Wilderness.  99 

was  raised — we  always  were  specially  sensitive 
about  "beggirxg",  and  could  not  press  the  matter 
as  is  sometimes  done — there  was  much  to  encourage 
us,  and  we  thanked  God  and  took  courage. 

From  time  to  time  some  of  our  number  left  for 
other  fields  of  work,  for  not  all  were  allowed  to  re- 
main long  enough  to  take  the  full  course.  When- 
ever we  could,  we  sent  them  away  after  a  special 
prayer  service;  and  gathered  involuntarily,  just  as 
they  left,  in  the  wide  hall  and  on  the  stairs  to  say 
good  bye.  Soon  the  custom  arose  of  "singing  them 
off."  We  used  to  sing  "God  be  with  you  till  we 
meet  again,"  and  our  hearts  used  to  wonder  at  the 
inappropriateness  of  the  words,  when  we  had  no  hope 
of  meeting  again;  until  we  came  to  the  chorus, 
"Till  we  meet  at  Jesus  feet.''  We  could  not  hope 
for  an  earthly  reunion,  such  as  is  customary  in  other 
schools;  we  were  scattered  too  widely;  but  our 
hearts  learned  to  rest  in  the  thought  of  the  meeting 
at  Jesus'  feet.  That  is  the  best  meeting  place,  after 
all.  This  song  became  tco  sad,  however,  and  so 
we  used  to  sing,  "To  the  work,  to  the  work,"  and 
"I  will  follow  Jesus,"  and  "Praise  God  from  whom 
all  blessings  flow,"  and  while  natural  tears  will  flow, 
more  than  one  of  our  workers  have  gone  to  their 
fields  from  our  midst,  even  though  it  was  like  leav- 
ing home  to  them,  with  the  testimony,  ''This  is  the 
happiest  day  of  my  life. " 


100  Deaconesses. 

An  exceedingly  pathetic  bit  of  personal  his- 
tory, this  year  occurred  in  connection  with  one  of 
our  pupils  who  came  to  us  against  great  opposition 
on  the  part  of  her  parents,  who  were  not  Christians. 
She  thought  of  entering  the  foreign  work,  but  was 
not  certain.  She  only  felt  sure  she  ought  to  be- 
gin training  for  some  field  which  the  Lord  would 
show  her  in  due  time.  Remaining  with  us  month 
after  month,  the  longing  of  her  heart  for  her  kin- 
dred, especially  her  mother,  became  so  great,  that 
as  she  told  me  afterwards,  she  could  not  refrain  from 
writing  a  long  and  earnest  appeal  to  her  that  she 
would  at  once  give  God  her  heart.  The  letter  was 
sent  on  its  long  journey  winged  by  prayer.  The 
daughter  feared  that  it  might  give  ofifenfee,  and  be 
the  means  of  still  further  alienating  her  from  home, 
but  the  very  next  week  came  a  blessed  answer. 
Her  mother  had  given  her  heart  to  God.  The  step 
was  most  a  unexpected  one  to  all  her  friends; 
and  without  doubt  the  letter  written  in  such  anguish 
of  spirit,  was  the  means  of  the  decision.  We  all 
rejoiced  with  the  dear  girl,  who  could  not  keep  the 
good  news  to  herself,  but  within  a  few  days  came 
another  message,  this  time  by  telegraph.  The 
mother  had  suddenly  died.  The  blow  was  a  terrible 
one,  but  nothing  to  what  it  would  have  been  but  for 
the  letter  of  a  week  previous,  and  but  for  the  decis- 
ion to  come  to  the  school  that  indirectly  led  to  the 


A    Cottage  in   this    Wilderness.  101 

letter.  In  a  little  while  the  daughter  went  to  her 
home  to  care  for  her  invalid  father.  God  had  shown 
her  her  mission  field.  * 

June  2,  1887.  occurred  the  second  commencement 
of  the  Training  School.  Dr.  J.  M.  Thoburn,  now 
Bishop,  and  Prof.  C.  F.  Bradley,  of  Evanston,  were 
the  speakers,  and  fifteen  ladies  received  the  diploma 
of  the  school.  It  was  our  first  graduating  class. 
Only  twelve  of  the  graduates  were  present,  two 
having  been  obliged  to  leave  to  join  a  party  of  mis- 
sionaries going  to  Africa,  and  one  having  been 
called  home  on  account  of  the  death  of  her  mother. 
The  audience  was  large,  and  now  for  the  first  time 
the  students  sang  an  original  hymn,  and  in  other 
ways  the  ordinary  pleasant  customs  of  other  schools 
were  followed. 

In  the  Message  preceding  the  commencement 
number,  we  find  the  plan  of  the  Deaconess  Home 
sketched,  and  on  Commencement  evening.  Prof. 
Bradley  made  a  ringing  appeal  for  thorough  organ- 
ization of  women's  work  for  the  city's  need.  Thus 
the  coming  event  of  the  General  Conference  action 
in  May,  1888,  concerning  Deaconesses  was  being 
anticipated  in  our  midst.  ^ 

The  class  gathered  for  the  opening  of  the  school 
in  September,  1887,  was  larger  than  any  of  its 
predecessors. 

♦See   page  126. 


102  Deaconesses. 

During  this  year  every  room  in  the  house  was 
occupied.  The  course  of  study  was  strengthened 
and  systematized,  and  the  general  organization  of  the 
school  was  much  improved.  Now  for  the  first  time 
a  full  year's  work  was  accomplished.  An  illness  of 
several  months  on  my  part  caused  some  interruption 
of  class-work,  but  even  this  "  worked  for  good  " 
to  teacher  and  pupils.  The  well-known  missionary, 
Isabella  Thoburn,  came  in  the  fall  to  visit  the 
school,  as  missionaries  often  do,  and  at  our  earnest 
solicitation  consented  to  remain  with  us,  teaching  in 
the  class-rooms  and  otherwise  filling  an  important 
place.  God  was  teaching  us  the  precious  lesson 
that  the  school  was  under  His  special  care. 

This  school  year,  like  the  one  preceding, 
was  saddened  by  death.  Helen  May  Bacon,  a 
graduate  of  the  June  class,  who  was  to  me  almost 
as  a  dear  child  in  the  Gospel,  suddenly  died.  She 
had  hastened  back  to  the  school  to  care  for  me  dur- 
ing my  sickness,  but  as  my  boat  crept  painfully  and 
heavily  back  to  this  shore  of  the  river  of  death,  her 
light  bark  swept  swiftly  over  to  the  other  side. 
Again  we  could  not  understand  God's  dealings  with 
us,  but  again  we  remembered,  "It  is  not  necessary 
to  understand — only  to  trust." 

"All  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 
If  it  be  His  dear  will." 

Eighteen  different  States  were  represented  among 


A    Cottage  in  this    Wilderness.  103 

the  pupils  of  this  one  year,  1887-88.  The  ex- 
penses of  the  year,  $3,669.18,  had  been  met  almost 
entirely  from  the  money  paid  by  the  students;  and 
that  the  practical  work  which  had  served  as  training 
during  the  course  had  been  of  value  to  the  city,  the 
following  statistics  testify: 

Number  of  calls  m?.de  at  home,  5,287. 
Bible  readings  and  prayer  at  homes,  575. 
Bible  lessons  given  in  Sunday-school,  19,113. 
Lessons  given  in  Industrial  Schools,  8,371. 
Tracts  and  cards  distributed,  6,130. 

Thus  closes  this  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  the 
first  three  years  of  the  Training  School.  •  We  had 
advanced  from  an  unembodied  idea,  to  a  solid 
structure  of  brick  and  mortar,  our  beautiful  build- 
ing; and  we  rejoiced  in  another  structure,  better 
than  brick  and  mortar — the  confidence  and  sym- 
pathy of  God's  people.  The  influence  of  the  school 
had  gone  out  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  in  our  stu- 
dents scattered  literally  over  the  globe.  At  the 
close  of  this  year,  or  as  soon  after  as  the  ladies  could 
get  to  their  fields,  we  had  twenty-four  students  in 
the  foreign  field — India,  China, ^Korea,  Japan,  South 
America,  Africa,  and  Jamaica — and  twenty-seven 
students  in  various  departments  of  the  home  work 
in  the  United  States.  "The  Lord  has  done  great 
things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad!" 


Part  III. 

The  Story  of 
THE  CHICAGO  DEACONESS  HOME. 


What  hath  God  Wrought! — Num.  xxili  123. 
For  Jesus'  sake. — ^John  xii :  9. 


A    NURSE   DEACONESS. 

FROM    THE    CHICAGO    HOME. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  BEGINNING. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  year  of  the  Chicago 
Training  School  for  City,  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, June,  1887,  we  found  eight  or  ten  among  our 
students  who  were  willing  to  remain  in  the  city  dur- 
ing the  summer  and  continue  the  practical  mission- 
ary work  which  had  formed  a  part  of  their  training 
in  the  school,  provided  only  they  could  be  supplied 
with  a  home  and  board — a  basis  of  work.  The 
matter  was  brought  before  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  the  Training  School,  and  they  voted  to  allow 
us  the  use  of  the  large  school  building,  during  the 
summer,  for  these  women.  There  was  no  provison 
whatever  for  their  board  and  car-fare,  but  God  had 
been  graciously  preparing  us  for  such  a  time  as  this. 
He  had  laid  on  our  hearts  a  burden  for  the  great 
city.  He  had  wonderfully  given  us  workers,  and  we 
dared  not  do  otherwise  than  to  set  them  at  work, 
since  to  do  otherwise  meant  putting  eight  or  ten 
greatly  needed  missionaries  out  of  the  field.  As  to 
the  support,  we  believed  that  God  and  his  children 
would  help  us  out.  *  And  they  did. 

Our   friends   were    somewhat   prepared    for  the 


108  Deaconesses. 

movement  by  a  little  note  which  appeared  in  the 
June  Message,  (1887),  which  reads  to  us  now  almost 
like  prophesy;  and  by  an  admirable  address  which 
Prof.  C.  F.  Bradley  gave  at  our  Commencement  ex- 
ercises soon  afterward.  The  note  in  The  Message  has 
a  peculiar  historical  interest,  being  the  first  printed 
matter  in  America,  so  far  as  known,  relative  to  the 
establishment  of  Deaconess  work  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.     We  quote  it  entire: 

OUR    DEACONESS    HOME. 

The  opportunities  for  work  in  a  large  city  are 
often  better  in  summer  than  in  winter.  This  fact, 
together  with  the  desire  we  have  that  our  building 
which  would  otherwise  be  nearly  vacant  for  months, 
may  be  used  for  the  advance  of  the  Kingdom,  has 
determined  us  upon  opening  a  Deaconess  Home, 
during  the  summer  months. 

Into  this  Home,  we  purpose  to  receive  such  ladies 
as  shall  be  approved,  and  for  whom  we  can  find 
suitable  openings,  who  wish  to  devote  their  time  to 
City  Missionary  Work. 

They  will  receive  no  salary,  but  we  promise 
them  a  home,  such  board  as  the  Lord  may  provide, 
and  the  payment  of  necessary  car-fare. 

Workers  in  the  Home  are  at  entire  liberty  to 
leave  at  any  time,  without  warning,  but  while  with 
us  must  obey  the  rules  of  the  Home,  and  submit  to 
the  decisions  of  those  in  authority. 

We  believe  this  thought  of  a  Headquarters  for 
lady  missionaries  and  an  organization  of  their  work, 


TJic  Beginning.  I(i9 

may  be  a  seed  with  a  life-germ  in  it  which  shall 
grow.  It  is  very  small,  but  so  was  the  mustard 
seed.  We  will  plant  it,  and  wait  for  the  showers 
from  Heaven  and  the  shining  of  the  sun. 

Prof.  Bradley's  address  was  so  strong  a  setting 
forth  of  the  work  and  its  necessity,  that  we  also 
quote  largely  frgm  it.  Never  has  the  cause  received 
more  clear  and  forceful  words.  Speaking  first  of 
the  ladies  who  were  to  be  sent  into  foreign  and 
home  fields,  and  the  strong  organizations  ready  to 
send  them  out,  he  continued: 

But  some  women  feel  their  hearts  drawn  out  to 
mission  work  in  great  cities,  and  to  them,  and  of 
the  possibilities  before  the  church  in  connection 
with  their  work,  I  desire  especially  to  speak.  What 
door  is  open  before  them?  Who  is  to  commission 
them?  Who  will  direct  their  labors?  To  whom 
will  they  be  responsible?  What  treasury  is  behind 
them?  Do  we  not  need  them?  The  homes  of  ignor- 
ance and  misery  in  this  great  city,  the  thousands 
that  are  sick,  the  children  that  swarm  our  streets — 
do  they  not  need  the  care  and  tenderness,  the  love 
and  sympathy,  of  Christian  womanhood?  As  I 
have  thought  upon  this  matter,  I  confess  I  have 
been  pained  that  so  little  has  been  done  in  this 
direction.  Here  and  there,  it  is  true,  a  single  church 
employs  a  lady  missionary,  and  people  look  at  her 
as  some  sort  of  a  curiosity;  wonder  what  is  done 
with  her,  and  how  she  is  related  to  the  church! 
Moreover,  a  woman  may  a  steward  or  class-leader 
in  our  church,  but  this  does  not  mean  the  devote- 
ment  of  one's  life  entirely  to  the  service  of  Christ  in 


110  Deaconesses. 

the  church.  The  fact  is,  there  is  no  chance  for  any 
considerable  number  of  women  to  enter  mission  work- 
in  our  cities.  When  I  think  of  it,  I  am  amazed — 
amazed  in  view  of  our  great  need,  and  in  view  of 
the  number  who  would  be  ready  to  enter  the  work 
if  it  were  only  arranged  for  them. 

Now,  what  do  we  need?  What  will  these  young 
ladies  need  who  wish  to  enter  the  work?  Most  of 
you  say  at  once  that  their  first  need  is  home  and  sup- 
port— ^justsucha  home  as  is  offered  them  in  the  new 
department  contemplated  in  the  Training  School. 
There  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  a  home  where 
they  will  be  together.  It  is  more  economical,  then 
they  will  have  each  other's  sympathy,  and  the  older 
will  encourage  and  advise  the  younger.  They  must 
have  support,  also,  if  they  give  all  their  time  to  the 
work.  But  it  is  a  good  investment  for  the  church 
and  for  Christ,  to  put  money  into  the  work  of  Chris- 
tian women.  Moreover,  they  need  direction.  They 
cannot  do  this  great  work  alone,  single-handed. 
They  must  be  placed  in  systematic  relation  to  our 
churches  and  pastors.  I  fear  for  the  permanency  of 
those  Christian  efforts  which  are  not  connected  with 
our  churches.  Certain  it  is  that  in  some  way 
the  work  must  be  thoroughly  organized.  This  is 
our  great  present  need.  No  great  work  can  be  ac- 
complished in  these  days  without  organization. 

What  is  our  church  doing?  How  patient  our 
women  have  been  in  this  matter!  How  strange  it 
is  that  at  present  we  have  no  place  for  the  tal- 
ents and  ability  of  our  women  who  wish  to  devote 
themselves  entirely  to  God's  work? 

Why  is   not   the  work    of  our  sisters,  whom  the 


The  Beginning.  Ill 

Lord  has  manifesly  called  into  his  service,  in  some 
way  recognized  and  organized  by  the  church? 

There  were  great  opportunities  in  the  early  days 
of  Chicago  to  invest  money  in  real  estate.  A  man 
would  put  $500  into  a  little  land,  and  in  a  few  years 
it  would  be  worth  a  million.  You  often  meet  peo- 
ple on  the  street  who  tell  you  how  rich  they  might 
have  been;  how  they  might  have  owned  half  of 
Chicago  now,  if  they  had  only  invested  a  few  hundred 
dollars  when  they  had  the  chance.  Friends,  there 
are  just  such  opportunities  in  the  religious  world, 
and  this  is  one  of  them.  A  few  hundreds  or  thou- 
sands of  dollars  invested  in  the  Deaconess'  Home 
now  will  mean  a  great  deal  in  a  little  while,  and  if 
some  of  you  do  not  invest,  you  may  be  walking 
around  the  streets  of  heaven,  by-and-bye,  telling 
what  good  you  might  have  done;  what  spiritual 
wealth  you  might  have  amassed!  This  is  the  pres- 
ent opportunity  for  our  church  and  for  us  all.  I  tell 
you  we  need  this  Deaconess  Home,  and  it  is  com- 
ing! God  help  us  to  see  our  opportunity,  and  do 
all  we  can  to  help  it  on.  We  have  our  Tryphenas 
and  Tryphosas,  who  labor  in  the  Lord;  we  shall  find 
our  Prsicillas  and  Marys  pressing  on,  who  labor 
much  in  the  Lord.  God  help  us  to  help  these 
women,  to  open  the  way  for  them.  This  is  our 
golden  opportunity,  and  if  we — if  the  church — only 
have  the  courage  to  go  forward,  we  shall  be  blessed 
and  abundantly  rewarded  for  our  sacrifice  and  labor. 

So  our  Home  was  actually  begun.  One  of  the 
embryo  Deaconesses  who  was  with  us  that  summer 
thus  describes  this  beginning: 


112  Deaconesses. 

"How  well  I  remember  the  last  student's  prayer 
meeting  in  the  year  1886-7  of  the  Chicago  Training 
School.  Just  before  it  closed,  Mr.  Meyer  said  he 
had  something  to  tell  us,  and  then  he  unfolded  the 
plan  of  Deaconess  work  for  the  summer,  which  had 
been  talked  of  among  us,  to  be  sure,  but  which  had 
seemed  after  all  only  a  far  off  dream.  Mr.  Meyer 
told  us  plainly  that  all  the  inducement  he  had  to 
offer  was  the  shelter  of  the  Training  School  build- 
ing, and  such  board  as  the  Lord  might  send.  On 
these  terms  he  offered  to  take  all  who  wished  to  un- 
dertake the  work  for  the  summer.  We  left  the  room 
and  gathered  into  little  groups  in  the  hall,  dis- 
cussing the  question  whether  we  had  faith  enough  to 
trust  the  Lord  to  feed  us  as  he  did  Elijah.  But  to 
tell  the  truth,  we  had  some  doubts  as  to  whether  the 
particular  kind  of  raven  that  fed  Elijah  were  not 
now  extinct. 

Finally  I  decided  to  remain  on  trial,  and  now 
came  my  great  anxiety  as  to  what  my  appointment 
would  be.  Talking  with  one  of  the  young  ladies, 
now  in  China,  she  said  sympathetically,  "Oh,  I  do 
hope  you  will  not  be  given  my  class  of  boys."  But 
a  few  hours  later  I  was  told  to  take  charge  of  this 
very  class.  For  a  moment  I  envied  the  young  lady 
who  was  going  to  China.  The  next  Sabbath  morn- 
ing I  started  with  something  of  a  martyr  spirit,  not 
knowing  just  what  awaited  me.  But  God  is  always 
better  to  us  than  our  fears.  The  class  I  found  to  be  a 
mischevious,  ready  to-be-just-what-the-teacher-made- 
them  set  of  boys,  not  at  all  hopeless.  So,  lovingly, 
God  took  care  of  me  all  summer,  and  it  was  a  very 
happy  summer.     That  raven  species  is  not  extinct." 


TJie  Begmning.  113 

The  Deaconess  Home  family  during  this  summer 
averaged  eight.  There  were  2,751  calls  made,  and 
in  468  instances  opportunities  for  prayer  or  for 
reading  the  Bible  were  gladly  improved.  Many 
children  were  gathered  into  the  Sunday-school. 
Many  sick  and  dying  were  visited  and  comforted. 

It  has  never  seemed  best  for  us  to  try  to  keep 
statistics  of  conversions,  but  in  many  instances  dur- 
ing that  summer  of  1887,  our  workers  came  home, 
and  gathering  around  the  tea-table  told  of  heaits 
touched,  of  prayers  offered,  of  tears  that  flowed  as 
old  vows  were  renewed  or  new  ones  taken.  More 
than  once  we  found  the  dead  or  dying,  lying  in 
homes  where  a  helping  hand  was  desperately  needed. 
The  summer  was  intensely  hot,  but  the  health  of 
the  family  continued  good.  Only  one  day  out  of  all 
the  months  was  the  work  suspended  on  account  of 
the  heat.  We  did  not  call  our  workers  Deaconesses, 
but  we  did  apply  the  name  to  the  Home — with 
bated  breath  however — as  there  must  be  some  name 
by  which  to  designate  it. 

Our  support  came  in  from  week  to  week,  and 
almost  from  day  to  day.  We  find  in  the  record  of 
those  days,  the  following  half  humorous  note  about 
our  living  and    our  work: 

"How  are  we  going   to  live  all  summer?" 

We  don't  know,  but  we  have  no  doubt  that  the 
Lord  will  supply  our  bread  and   butter — and  straw- 


114  Deaconesses. 

berries,  too,  for  that  matter.  That  is,  strawberries 
occasionally.  It  is  not  good  for  people  to  have 
strawberries  every  day. 

The  word  Deaconess  mQdir\s,  servant — helper.  We 
are  trying  to  be  that.  And  it  is  blessed  to  remem- 
ber that  "while  God  has  set  some  in  the  church, 
first  apostles,  secondly  prophets,"  he  has  set  others 
named  in  the  same  list,  to  be  ^^HelpsP  I  Cor. 
xii.,  28.  We  are  trying  to  help  the  pastor  in  the 
multiplicity  of  cares  that  drop  on  his  shoulders  this 
trying  hot  weather.  There  are  some  visits  that  we 
can  make  that  save  his  foot-steps.  We  can  also 
help  him  care  for  the  children.  Moreover,  the  Lord 
makes  us  a  "help"  sometimes  to  the  poor  neglected 
women  of  this  great  city.  We  go  to  their  homes — 
they  would  never  come  to  ours,  or  to  our  churches 
— and  they  tell  us  of  their  sorrows,  and  we  tell 
them  of  the  One  who  has  borne  our  griefs  and  our 
sorrows.  Five  days  in  the  week  we  visit  from  house 
to  house.  The  informal  talk  at  our  tea-table  often 
brings  out  some  strange  things.  "I  called  on  a  lady 
who  hasn't  been  to  church  for  four  years,''  said  one, 
one  night.  "Well,  I  found  one  who  hadn't  been  to 
church  for  eighteen  years!"  replied  her  neighbor. 
And  amid  a  chorus  of  distressed  exclamations,  a 
third  told  of  a  woman  she  had  visited  who  hadn't 
been  in  church  for  twenty  years.  "Was  she  a  crip- 
ple?" asked  one.  "No,  indeed;  she  just  didn't  want 
to  go."  "How  did  she  receive  you?"  "She  seemed 
cordial  enough,  and  when  we  began  to  talk  and 
pray,  she  looked  at  us  and  said,  T  believe  the  Lord 
sent  you  here.'  "  Such  cases,  and  all  that  promise 
good  results,  go  down  specially  on  our  note  books, 


The  Beginnuig.  115 

and  are  to  be  followed  up.  The  first  blow  doesn't 
always  break  the  rock. 

Our  family  seems  very  small.  We  all  sit  at  one 
very  long  table.  Somebody  sent  us  a  crate  of  ber- 
ries the  other  day.  It  is  remarkable  what  appetites 
we  all  have — six  loaves  of  bread  every  day  and 
eight  quarts  oi  milk!  Two  little  aristocratic  Mal- 
tese kittens  are  the  latest  addition  to  our  family. 
When  they  grow  a  little  they  will  catch  the  rats  out 
of  the  cellar.  We  don't  dare  try  them  just  yet,  for 
fear  the  rats  might  catch  them. 

The  first  hour  after  breakfast  is  always  Bible  hour. 
One  of  us  leads  in  the  responsive  Bibk  reading,  and 
then  gives  some  practical  talk  on  some  verse  of  the 
lesson.  We  sing  a  good  deal  and  pray,  and  grow 
strong  by  communion  with  God. 

At  the  end  of  the  summer  vacation  we  balanced 
accounts,  and  found  that  we  had  met  expenses  and 
had  $6.55  over  in  the  treasury.  We  thought  at 
first  that  we  could  continue  work  from  the  Training 
School  building,  but  it  filled  up  with  students,  and 
we  were  again  forced  to  face  the  question  of  dis- 
banding or  assuming  increased  financial  responsi- 
bility. What  could  we  do?  Here  were  the  women 
ready  and  eager  to  do  the  work — and  work  so  ter- 
ribly needed — at  the  merely  nominal  cost  of  furnish- 
ing them  a  home  and  clothes.  Our  good  friends 
Mr.  Blackstone  and  Mr.  Elderkin  and  the  elect 
lady,  Mrs.  Hobbs,  all  stood  by  us.  We  calculated 
the  cost  of  rent  and  board,  and  asked  ourselves  the 


116  Dcaco7iesses. 

question:  ''Dare  we  go  on?"  But  we  were  met  by 
the  still  harder  question,  "Dare  we  do  anything 
biU  go  on?"  and  the  result  was  that  at  the  next 
meeting  of  our  Executive  Committee,  a  "Deaconess 
Home  Committee"  was  formally  created,  and  it  was 
voted,  at  Mr.  Blackstone's  motion,  that  we  "carry 
forward  the  work  so  long  as  the  Lord  sends  us 
the  means  to  do  so." 

In  the  meantime  the  family  had  dropped  to  very 
small  proportions.  Quite  a  number  of  the  ladies 
forming  the  summer  family,  re-entered  the  Training 
School.  One  engaged  in  missionary  work  in  the  city, 
and  some  were  sent  to  distant  fields  of  labor.  So 
when  a  flat  was  finally  rented,  two  blocks  from  the 
Training  School  building,  there  were,  at  first,  only 
two  ladies  to  enter  it  and  begin  the  independent 
Deaconess  Home. 

The  experience  of  the  first  few  days  has  been 
kindly  told  for  us  by  Miss  Reeves,  one  of  the  two, 
and  is  as  follows: 

One  day  in  October  my  room  mate  and  I  were 
called  into  the  office  at  the  Training  School,  and 
asked  if  we  were  willing  to  become  the  nucleus  of 
an  Independent  Deaconess  Home.  And  so  it  hap- 
pened that  one  cold  evening  we  began  house-keep- 
ing on  a  small  scale  in  the  flat  on  Erie  street.  The 
whole  visible  prospect  for  a  Home,  at  that  time,  con- 
sisted of  a  stove,  a  few  second-hand  household  goods, 
thirty  dollars  for  a  month's  rent,  and  our  two  selves. 


TJie  Beginning.  117 

Putting  things  together,  however,  we  thought  it 
meant  go  forward,  so  we  bade  "our  anxious  fears 
subside,"  and  went  forward.  Our  first  night's  ex- 
perience was  a  never-to-be-forgotten  one.  Mr. 
Meyer  and  a  strong-armed  young  friend  accom- 
panied us,  each  carrying  something  to  add  to  the 
furnishing  of  our  Home.  (They  thought  nothing  in 
those  days  of  calmly  marching  along  the  streets 
carrying  a  mattress  between  them. )  Standing  in  our 
little  dining-room  we  viewed  the  landscape  o'er.  A 
bed  lounge,  four  chairs  and  a  lamp!  Could  we  be 
happy  here?  We  all  knelt  in  prayer,  dedicating 
ourselves  and  our  Home  to  the  Father  above,  and 
then  we  two  were  left  alone.  How  large  the  house 
seemed!  Four  or  more  large,  cold,  dark  rooms, 
and  a  large  dark  hall  separated  us  from  the  outside 
world.  Having  no  man  in  the  house,  we — woman- 
like— feared  one  might  come  in.  Our  window 
shook,  and  every  sound  was  magnified  by  our  im- 
agination. We  lay  down,  but  arose  again  at  some 
specially  terrifying  noise,  and  again  asked  God  to 
take  care  of  us.  At  last  we  slept,  for  the  Lord  sus- 
tained us. 

During  the  first  week  we  simply  roomed  at  the 
Home,  taking  our  meals  at  the  Training  School 
near.  I  remember  that  my  household  allotment  of 
work  at  school  that  week  was  to  help  prepare  the 
morning  meal  for  the  whole  household  of  forty, 
which  meant  early  rising  and  an  early  morning  walk. 
But  as  soon  as  we  had  secured  a  barrel  of  flour  and 
a  few  other  necessary  articles,' we  began  in  real  earn- 
est to  enjoy  our  home  and  fire-side.  We  alternated 
regularly  in  performing  the  daily  household  task  of 


118  Deaconesses. 

building  the  fire  and  preparing  the  meals.  When  it 
came  to  wash  day,  we  left  our  clothes  to  dry  while 
we  spent  the  afternoon  in  visiting,  returning  at  sup- 
per time  to  hasten  through  our  meal,  very  likely  to 
attend  some  evening  meeting.  Our  days  were  thus 
filled  with  work,  and  being  done  in  His  name  and 
for  His  glory,  they  ghded  swifty  and  pleasantly  by. 
One  dark  and  stormy  Saturday  night  there  was 
a  knock  at  our  door,  and  an  earnest-faced  young 
woman  came  in,  to  join  our  number.  Ere  long  a 
fourth  came,  and  so  our  Deaconess  Home  family 
grew.  Our  early  fears  of  a  nightly  invasion  were 
realized  one  November  evening.  We  were  awak- 
ened by  a  terrifying  rap  at  our  door,  but  instead  of 
a  bloody  burglar,  we  were  delighted  to  find  our 
beloved  Miss  Thoburn.  She  remained  with  us  a 
whole  year,  making  our  home  home-like  with  her 
motherly  presence.  Her  words  were  always  wisely 
and  well  chosen,  and  her  influence  most  helpful  and 
inspiring.  Such  were  our  days  of  pioneer  Dea- 
coness work,  and  now  ''beh^old  the  works  of  the 
Lord,  what  wonders  He  hath  wrought!  " 

The  contributions  toward  the  support  of  our 
workers  came,  at  first,  from  the  little  inner  circle  of 
friends  already  interested  in  the  school.  The  July 
Message  acknowledged  in  all  eighty-seven  dollars 
received  for  the  Home.  The  August  acknowledg- 
ments are  more  varied.  W.  D.  sent  fifty  dollars,  a 
great  encouragement,,  and  W.  E.  B. — initials  that 
have  grown  delightfully  familiar — six  boxes  of  ber- 
ries.   In  addition  to  this,  there  were  sums  of  money, 


The  Beginning.  119 

varying  from  one  to  fifty  dollars,  and  coming  from 
New  Hampshire  at  the  East  to  Missouri  on  the  South, 
and  Wisconsin  on  the  North.  Then  some  of  the 
churches  paid  the  street-car  fare  of  the  ladies  work- 
ing for  them,  which  was  no  small  help  to  our  timid 
beginnings.  We  did  not  demand  this,  however. 
We  have  never  made  any  condition,  but  that  there 
be  a  need  of  the  help  we  could  give. 

Soon,  to  our  gratitude,  a  correspondence  opened 
with  young  women  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
who  had  not  attended  the  Training  School,  but 
whose  hearts  were  inclined  toward  the  Deaconess 
work;  and  from  their  ranks  as  well  as  from  the  school, 
came  recruits  to  our  Deaconess  Home  family. 
Miss  Thoburn,  whose  coming  to  assist  in  the  school 
had  been  such  a  blessing,  made  her  home  with  the 
Deaconess  family,  and  became  its  safe  and  beautiful 
center.  Surely  God  was  blessing  the  movement 
and  supplying  not  only  our  financial  needs,  but  "all 
our  needs,  according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ 
Jesus. " 

Many  times,  during  the  months,  the  need  of 
strong  and  skillful  hands  to  relieve  physical  distress, 
especially  in  case  of  sickness,  had  pressed  upon  us. 
The  rich  in  the  city  can  hire  the  trained  nurse,  or 
there  is  leisure  and  love  and  skill  in  the  sufferer's 
own  home.  Not  so  with  the  poor.  Engaged,  often, 
in  a  hand  to  hand  fight  with  the  wolf  at  the  door, 


120  Deaconesses, 

when  sickness  comes  the  suffering  is  extreme.  No 
friendly  neighbors  offer  help  as  in  the  blessed 
country,  and  often  there  is  despair  and  death.  Our 
visiting  Deaconesses  had  often  laid  hold  of  these 
difficulties  with  practical  hand,  but  we  now  began 
to  think  about  adding  a  body  of  nurses  to  our 
Home,  training  them  as  rapidly  as  possible.  This 
thought  was  destined  to  grow  into  the  Training 
School  for  nurses,  with  Wesley  Hospital  as  its  place 
for  hospital  practice. 

The  graceful  pen  of  Miss  Thoburn.  gives  us  some 
jottings  from  the  days  of  her  connection  with  the 
Home: 

Why  are  nurses  required  in  connection  with  the 
Deaconess'  Home?  Cannot  the  sick  poor  be  sent 
to  the  hospital? 

An  illustration  may  answer.  A  widow  supports 
her  family.  One  child  seems  unwell;  she  thinks 
it  may  be  a  cold,  and  gives  him  such  remedies  as  a 
mother  has  at  hand.  He  grows  rapidly  worse  and 
a  doctor  is  called.  He  pronounces  the  disease  diph- 
theria. The  case  needs  close  attention  and  careful 
nursing,  but  the  weather  is  wintry  and  he  cannot  be 
taken  through  the  intervening  miles  of  street  to  the 
hospital.  And  so  the  tired  mother  must  work  by 
day  and  watch  by  night,  unless  some  friend  comes 
to  help  her,  and  so  many  are  friendless  in  this  great 
city.  Such  work  awaits  our  hands,  and  other  work 
where  it  is  the  mother  who  is  laid  by  with  no  one 
to  care  for  her.      We  cannot  effectively  carry  the 


The  Beginning.  121 

Gospel  to  such  people,  unless  we  take  with  it  the 
love  that  is  ready  to  help  in  time  of  need,  whatever 
the  need  may  be. 

There  is  work  for  the  Deaconesses  in  the  homes 
of  the  poor,  and  in  the  haunts  of  the  sinful,  and  on 
the  public  streets.  In  walking  one  square  we  saw 
this:  A  crowd  pouring  out  of  a  dime  museum, 
another  gathering  in  a  theater,  a  working  girl  in- 
sulted by  two  base  men  as  she  stood  waiting  at  a 
door,  a  news-boy  on  the  corner  crying,  "  Here's 
your  evening  papers!  All  about  Sullivan's  great 
victory  in  the  prize  fight!"  And  it  was  on  the  day 
called  Sabbath,  and  in  a  city  called  Christian! 

One  of  the  Deaconesses  went  recently  into  a 
house  where  a  laundry  was  kept,  and  while  talking  to 
the  woman  of  the  house,  another  standing  by  her 
ironing-table,  overheard,  and  took  part  in  the  con- 
versation. She  confessed  that  she  had  once  been  a 
Christian,  and  not  only  that,  but  a  Christian  worker. 
'*  I  have  gone  about  talking  to  people  just  as  you 
do,"  she  said,  "  but  I  never  do  it  now.  I  have  only 
been  in  a  church  twice  during  the  past  year."  STie 
was  visited  at  her  lodging  place,  and  asked  to  come 
to  the  Deaconess  Home  for  Thanksgiving  dinner. 
The  feast  was  spread  for  both  body  and  soul,  and 
there  she  turned  again  with  her  whole  heart  to  the 
Lord,  who,  true  to  his  gracious  promise,  received 
and  blessed  her.  The  day  became  to  her  a  Thanks- 
givijig  indeed. 

About  every  other  gift  to  our  Home  we  ask  that 
it  may  be  the  birth-place  of  souls.  For  this,  and  by 
this,  it  is  consecrated  to  the  Lord. 

The  Christian  nurse  has  such  rare  opportunities 


122  Deaconesses. 

that  her  work  is  often  blessed  in  the  doing  and  im- 
portant in  the  results.  The  experiences  of  a  sufferer, 
of  whatever  kind,  are  very  full  of  interest  to  herself, 
and  as  there  is  always  a  possibility  that  they  may 
end  in  death  they  border  upon  "  eternal  realities" 
and  awaken  feehng  and  inquiry.  The  proud  heart 
that  stoutly  resists  near  approach  in  health,  often 
yields  like  a  little  child's  in  sickness,  and  the  nurse 
that  has  been  called  to  minister  to  a  poor  body,  will 
often  find  her  mission  end  in  giving  counsel,  sym- 
pathy and  prayer.  Because  always  present,  she  has 
a  better  opportunity  than  the  physician  to  win  a 
hearing  for  the  divine  message,  and  though  health 
return,  and  cares  and  everyday  temptations  reassert 
themselves,  her  influence  remains,  and  is  always 
more  potent  than  that  of  the  occasional  visitor.  The 
visitors  often  say  they  find  a  difficulty  in  praying 
where  they  call,  that  the  subject  is  an  unwelcome 
and  awkward  one  to  introdnce,  but  a  sick  woman 
whom  we  have  cared  for,  turns  her  eye  longingly 
with  request  for  prayer  before  she  is  asked,  and 
joins  earnestly  in  the  petitions.  As  days  pass,  the 
answer  is  given,  and  she  is  receiving  light  and 
knowledge  of  our  own  needs  and  God's  grace. 

We  live  in  a  suffering  world,  and  there  is  bless- 
ing in  sharing  the  pain  of  the  burdened  one,  instead 
of  passing  by  on  the  other  side  in  the  sunshine  of 
health  and  prosperity.  A  message  came  one  night 
for  help,  where  a  woman  lay  on  her  death-bed,  her 
husband  beside  her,  as  he  had  been  day  and  night 
for  a  fortnight,  soothing  and  restraining  her,  for  she 
was  raving  in  delirium;  and  an  infant  in  the  care  of 
a  sister.      He  was  a  laboring  man,  but  his  work  had 


The  Beginning.  123 

to  be  given  up  for  this  care,  and  that  brought  the 
added  care  of  debt,  for  there  were  doctors'  bills  and 
medicines,  as  well  as  living  expenses,  A  priest  had 
been  there,  and  administered  extreme  unction,  and 
with  that  care  her  church  had  done  its  duty  to  the 
dying  woman,  who  in  her  dehrium  grieved  over 
sins  uhconfessed  and  so,  she  believed,  unforgivcn. 
We  could  do  nothing  but  help  the  suffering  body, 
and  a  few  days  after  that  was  at  rest.  A  week 
later  the  baby  died,  and  a  home  was  broken  up. 

It  was  a  comfort  to  find  in  another  dying  Roman 
Calholic,  a  trusting  Christian.  "Are  you  a  sister?'' 
she  asked  of  the  Deaconess  who  went  to  spend  the 
night  with  her.  "Yes,  a  Protestant  sister,"  was  the 
reply.  **It  is  all  the  same  in  Christ,''  said  the  dying 
woman,  and  through  a  night  of  pain  she  was  com- 
forted by  the  words  of  promise  that  are  the  joy  of 
all  the  saints  in  the  dark  valley. 

But  in  Christ's  service  the  happiest  work  is  that 
which  reaches  lowest  down.  A  poor  creature  lay 
dying  in  the  Infirmary  Hospital.  She  had  heard 
that  there  was  hope  and  a  home  for  even  an  outcast 
like  her,  and  her  heart  was  full  of  loving  gratitude 
toward  those  who  had  told  her  the  good  news.  They 
went  to  see  her  in  the  hospital,  taking  her  a  little 
gift  of  fruit.  **And  did  you  come  here  to  see  tneV^ 
and  did  you  bring  this  for  me?  she  asked  with  eager 
delight.  The  nurse  interposed  to  say  that  she  must 
not  eat  the  fruit — she  was  too  ill.  "  No  "  she  said, 
"I'll  not  eat  it,  but  leave  it  here,  and  when  the  doctor 
comes  he'll  know  that  somebody  brought  this  for  me!'' 

The  reward  to  the  giver  of  "the  cup  of  cold 
water"  comes  with  the  giving.  . 


124  Deaconesses. 

The  family  increased  until  it  numbered  a  round 
dozen,  and  we  began  to  agitate  the  matter  of  some- 
thing beside  a  hired  house  for  Jjeadquarters  for  the 
institution.  The  building  next  to  the  Training 
School  was  providentially  for  sale,  and  we  held 
conferences  long  and  many,  with  a  view  of  its  pur- 
chase. Some  excellent  real  estate  men  were  upon 
our  Board,  and  they  served  us  now.  The  price  of 
the  property  was  $12,000 — a  very  reasonable  one; 
but  hardly  a  penny  was  "in  sight."  Many  of  our 
friends,  while  greatly  desiring  the  property,  thought 
it  would  be  unwise  to  again  go  into  debt,  and  there- 
fore discouraged  the  purchase.  Among  these,  I 
must  confess,  was  my  faithless  self;  but  my  husband 
insisted  upon  it  that  we  must  have  the  property, 
and  was  confident  that  the  Lord  would  give  it  to  us. 
And  sure  enough  he  did.  To  the  surprise  of  every 
one,  even  her  own  children,  our  dear  and  honored 
friend,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Smith,  of  Oak  Park,  made  us 
another  donation  of  $5,000 — A  gift  which  just  at 
that  time  decided  us  in  the  purchase  of  the  property. 
I  very  well  remember  the  joyful  excitement  which 
the  news  of  the  final  ratification  of  the  bargain 
brought  to  our  workers,  in  both  School  and  Home. 
Just  before,  at  the  Tuesday  evening  prayer  meeting. 
March  the  6th,  Mr.  Meyer  talked  to  us  specially 
about  the  matter.  He  told  us  how,  a  year  and  a 
half  before,  he  had  watched  the  School  building  go 


The  Beginning.  125 

up,  brick  by  brick,  and  thought  that  if  it  ever  was 
finished  he  should  be  perfectly  content.  "But  now," 
he  added,  "it  seems  to  me  I  never  wanted  anything 
so  much  in  my  life  as  I  want  this  lot. "  Whereupon 
we  all  laughed;  but  we  prayed,  too.  The  very  next 
day  the  answer  came.  Mr.  Meyer  was  "down  town" 
all  day,  coming  home  at  night  with  a  wonderful 
story  of  providential  meetings  with  committee  men, 
and  real  estate  men,  and  the  final  statement  that 
the  property  was  really  purchased.  I  could  not 
help  whispering  the  good  news  to  one  or  two,  but 
very  few  knew  it  until  it  was  announced  at  the  tea 
table.  The  young  ladies  broke  into  a  spontaneous 
hand-clapping,  almost  the  first  time  that  such  an 
expression  had  occurred  in  our  midst.  It  was  their 
modern  way  of  saying  Amen;  but  they  said  it  in 
the  old  fashion  way  a  little  later  at  the  praise  serv- 
ice with  which  we  closed  our  meal. 

But  the  purchase  of  this  property,  though  very 
desirable,  did  not  help  our  immediate  necessity  for 
more  room,  as  it  had  been  sold  under  lease,  and  we 
could  not  obtain  possession  of  it  for  a  year.  We 
therefore  planned  to  utilize  our  newly  acquired 
back-yard,  by  building  upon  it  an  L,  to  communi- 
cate with  the  rear  end  of  the  long  Training  School 
building.  Permission  was  obtained  from  the  lessee, 
and  in  June  we  began  the  building  which  was  erect- 
ed without   accident  or   delay    and    was    ready    for 


126  Deaconesses, 

occupancy  by  the  time  school  began — the  middle  of 
September.  This  furnished  us  with  twelve  good 
rooms,  besides  a  much  quieter  class-room  than  the 
one  in  the  Training  School  building,  and  a  laundry 
— both,  very  much  needed. 

The  Rock  River  Conference,  in  which  Chicago  is 
situated,  had  passed  most  hearty  resolutions  of  confi- 
dence and  sympathy  at  their  session  in  the  Fall  of 
1887,  when  the  Home  had  been  in  existence  only 
three  months.  These  resolutions  were  pleasant  and 
profitable  to  us,  and  aided  us  in  securing  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people. 

As  the  time  for  the  General  Conference  ap- 
proached, a  good  deal  of  consultation  and  thought 
was  given  on  the  part  of  our  Board,  to  the  matter 
of  presenting  to  it  a  Memorial  in  reference  to  both 
the  School  and  the  Home.  Such  a  Memorial  was 
finally  carefully  prepared  by  a  Special  Committee, 
of  which  Mr.  W.  E.  Blackstone  was  chairman.  It 
was  presented,  first,  to  the  Chicago  Preachers'  Meet- 
ing, and  was  warmly  endorsed  by  that  body.  This 
was  equivalent  to  its  endorsement  by  the  Rock 
River  Conference.  The  paper  was  then  put  into  the 
hands  of  our  Conference  delegates,  and  duly  pre- 
sented to  the  General  Conference  in  May,  1888.  An 
interesting  coincidence  was  the  presentation  of  a 
memorial  from  the  far  away  Bengal  Conference  in 
India,  asking  that  the  office  of  Deaconess  be  recog- 


The  Beginning.  127 

nized,  especially  in  reference  to  the  serious  difficulty 
that  the  Missionaries  in  India  meet — the  need  of  the 
administration  of  the  Sacraments,  among  the  women 
secluded  in  the  Zenanas.* 

The  action  of  the  General  Conference  is  well 
known.  They  made  general  provisions  for  the 
Order,  leaving  details  to  be  worked  out  in  actual 
experience.  This  endorsement  was,  of  course,  a 
great  help  to  us.  It  gave  us  a  recognized  position 
in  the  whole  United  States;  such  as  the  hearty  reso- 
lutions in  our  favor,  passed  months  before  in  the 
Rock  River  Coniference,  had  given  us  in  the  West. 
It  was  not  many  months  before  information  came  to 
us  from  several  cities,  that  Deaconess  Homes  were 
there  being  founded.  The  movement  had  rapidly 
developed  into  a  national  one. 

*  See  page  46. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   PERIPATETIC    CONTRIBUTION   BOX. 

In  the  summer  of  1888,  we  had  upon  us  the 
expense  of  building  an  addition  to  the  Training 
School  house,  and  the  balance  of  debt  on  the  or- 
iginal properties — in  all  sixteen  thousand  dollars. 
The  money  not  coming  in  rapidly,  we  began  to  be  a 
good  deal  distressed  for  money  to  meet  the  flood  of 
bills  which  came  pouring  in  upon  us.  We  had 
recourse  to  our  usual  resort — prayer.  Mail  after 
mail  came  in,  and  we  opened  the  letters  with  the 
delightful  feeling  that  each  one  might  contain  a 
check  for  a  thousand  dollars;  but  the  feeling  grew 
to  have  a  flavor  of  sickening  anxiety  as  the  thousand 
dollar  checks  did  not  come,  while  the  thousand  dollar 
bills  were  prompt  and  regular.  What  were  we  to  do 
next  ?  We  began  to  suspect  the  Lord  would  have 
us  do  some  working  along  with  our  praying,  and 
just  at  that  time  a  young  lady  in  the  city  sent  word 
that  she  had  read  of  a  wonderful  plan  of  circulating 
letters  by  means  of  which  large  sums  could  be  se- 
cured in  a  short  time,  and  that  she  was  going 
to  start  a  chain  of  such  letters  for  our  benefit. 
Almost  the  same  day   brought  me  a  form  of  chain 


The  Peripatetic   Contribution  Box.  129 

letter,  soliciting  money  for  some  other  object,  sent  by 
an  interested  friend  in  the  east,  who  strongly  urged 
me  to  try  the  plan  for  the  Deaconess  Home  Building. 
The  plan  was  new  to  me,  but  I  did  a  great  amount 
of  figuring  on  the  back  of  my  envelopes,  and  the  re- 
sult was,  I  drew  up  a  form  that  I  thought  would 
answer  to  send  out.  Realizing,  however,  the  impor- 
tance of  sending  out  a  letter  that  would  be  copied 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  times,  I  took  the  form 
to  the  dining  room  and  submitted  it  to  the  family 
assembled  there.  To  my  surprise,  no  one  was 
favorably  impressed  with  the  plan.  They  had  not 
my  source  of  inspiration  in  the  envelope-backs, 
covered  with  figures.  Seeing  that  I  was  determined 
in  my  purpose,  however,  they  gave  me  their  best 
suggestions  and  criticisms,  and  the  result  was  a  re- 
modeled letter,  which  was  again  submitted  the  next 
day.  This  was  repeated  for  several  days,  and  at 
last  the  family  agreed  on  a  letter  which  we  fondly 
imagined  above  criticism.  The  letter  briefly  ex- 
plained our  work  and  need,  and  suggested  that  if  each 
one  receiving  the  letter  would  send  us  a  dime  and 
make  three  copies  of  the  letter  asking  three  friends  to 
do  the  same  thing,  it  would  build  the  house  we  so 
much  needed. 

My  next  step  was  to  visit  the  printer,  for  I  knew 
I  could  never  make  as  many  copies  as  I  intended  to 
send;  and  by  the  aid  of  two  fonts  of  type-writer  type, 


130  Deaconesses. 

differing  a  little,  but  mixed  in  the  letter,  and  several 
innocent  looking  mistakes,  I  succeeded  in  securing 
a  printed  letter  which  looked  enough  like  type-writ- 
ing to  deceive  the  very  elect.  Indeed  this  was  the 
class  I  intended  to  deceive.  Dating  and  signing 
ing  these  letters,  I  sent  out  about  fifteen  hundred. 
I  sent  from  the  Message  list,  and  to  my  personal 
friends,  trying  to  avoid  the  people  I  knew  to  be  spe- 
cially busy.  It  was  several  days  before  I  received 
any  response  to  the  letters,  but  at  last  they  began  to 
come  in.  My  delight  in  them  was  almost  childish.  I 
insisted  upon  opening  every  one  myself,  and  when 
an  occasional  criticism  upon  the  plan  was  received, 
it  sank  into  my  heart  like  lead.  The  great  majority 
of  returns,  however,  were  most  gratifying,  and 
many  of  them  contained  a  much  larger  sum  than 
that  asked  for — one,  two  hundred  times  the  dime.  I 
found  a  convenient  mustard  plaster  box,  and  enthu- 
siastically informed  my  husband  that  I  hoped  actu- 
ally to  live  to  see  that  box  filled  with  dimes  from 
the  ten-cent  letters!  Mr.  Meyer  had  not  been  en- 
thusiastic over  the  plan  at  first,  but  "nothing  suc- 
ceeds like  success,"  and  as  it  succeeded,  not  only 
he,  but  all  our  friends  became  very  much  interested 
in  it.  The  letters  came  in  such  numbers  that  the 
services  of  two  volunteer  office  assistants  were 
necessary  some  days  to  properly  open  and  care  for 
them.     My  mustard  box  has  been  filled  with  dimes 


The  Peripatetic   Cojitribution  Box.  131 

many  a  single  day,  and  the  fund  has  brought  us  over 
$6,000 — a  very  great  help  and  encouragement. 

The  plan  was  not  entirely  without  drawbacks 
however,  perhaps  the  most  serious  of  which  was 
that  so  many  people  received  duplicates.  Another 
objection  that  was  weighty  in  the  minds  of  many, 
was  the  fact  that  so  much  postage  was  neces- 
sary in  carrying  it  on.  Our  sufficient  answer  to  our 
own  conscience  was  in  the  incidental  value  of  the 
letters  in  advertising  the  work,  as  well  as  in  the 
many  larger  sums  which  it  brought  to  us.  Any 
business  firm  would  feel  itself  justified  in  a  similar 
expense  to  secure  the  efficient  advertising  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  that  these  circular  letters  have 
given  us.  By  the  time  a  lady  has  written  three  let- 
ters about  the  Deaconess  work,  explaining  it  with 
some  detail,  she  has  it  well  in  memory.  A  greater 
thing  than  money,  however,  has  been  the  offering 
of  consecrated  lives;  for  with  the  returns  in  money 
there  have  come  many  inquiries  in  reference  to  per- 
sons entering  the  work.  The  Home  has  a  well  in- 
formed and  deeply  interested  constituency  of  literally 
tens  of  thousands  of  persons,  the  direct  result  of  these 
letters.  The  machinery  necessary  in  securing  this 
result  has  of  course  been  somewhat  costly,  but  it  has 
certainly  paid  for  itself  Extracts  from  some  letters 
received  may  be  of  interest.  \Vc  quote  from  The  Mes- 
sage y  both  letters  and  the  replies  we  made  at  the  time: 


132  Deaconesses. 

These  dime  letters  have  been  an  interesting  study 
of  human  nature.  Most  of  the  responses  have  con- 
tained a  hearty  "God-speed,"  but  not  all.  We  have 
blushed  sometimes  under  just  and  kind  criticism, 
and  shivered  as  the  unkind  words  have  sent  floods 
of  ice-water  down  our  mental  spinal  column.  One 
lady  says: 

"Hoping  the  chain  will  remain  unbroken  and 
thanking  you  for  giving  me  a  chance  to  do  my 
mite" — 

We  have  had  many  responses  like  this,  and  our 
hearts  beat  quicker  and  our  hopes  and  courage  rise 
for  such  loving  sympathy. 

"To  tell  the  plain  truth,  I  am  exasperated  with 
this  plan.  I  am  a  very  busy  woman,  and  this  is  the 
third  benevolence  I  have  been  asked  to  help  in  this 
way.'' 

We  are  so  sorry!  So  sorry  that  we  are  almost 
speechless.  Only,  the  "No.  I's''  that  went  from 
this  office  were  sent  scrupulously  to  the  not  very 
busy  people — not  to  minister's  wives  and  conference 
secretaries  and  such  folks — and  we  are  grieved  that 
these  much  enduring  women  have  had  to  suffer  by 
our  plan.  Won't  they  please  just  try  to  make  the 
letters  a  means  of  grace  to  them — like  Job's  boils 
and  Paul's  thorn — if  they  can  do  no  more 

"The  money  is  a  small  thing,  but  there  are  so 
many  small  calls,  and  we  are  afraid  it  will  be  spent 
for  red  tape,  or  to  pay  some  unnecessary  official.  The 
work  is  a   grand  one,  and  I    should  like  to  help   it." 

But  she  didn't — even  by  ten  cents! 

We  had  the  satisfaction  of  telling  her,  however, 
that  no  official,  necessary  or  unnecessary,  was  ever 


The  Peripatetic   Contribittion  Box.  133 

paid  by  ten-cent  letters,  or  in  any  other  way.  Our 
directors,  teachers,  Deaconesses,  <^//,  work  absolutely 
without  salary. 

"I  cannot  conceive  how  any  woman  could  enter 
into  a  fraudulent  scheme  with  the  motto,  ^Vo\  Jesus 
Sake,' but—" 

Thank  God,  we  cannot  conceive  it,  either. 

Very  different  are  the  three  heart-cheering  ex- 
tracts below: 

"I  took  your  letter  and  went  from  house  to 
house,  spending  one  day.  I  just  read  your  letter, 
did  not  ask  for  money,  and  the  result  was  $5.10. 
They  said  it  was  so  little,  they  could  give  it." 

"I  am  delighted  to  be  able  to  form  one  link  of 
this  beautiful  chain  of  loving  sisters.  Inclosed  find 
a  dollar  to  make  my  part  good  and  strong." 

"I  am  glad  to  be  counted  worthy  to  be  asked  to 
help  this  cause.  God  has  given  my  soul  a  rich  bless- 
ing, as  I  have  done  this  little  thing 'for  Jesus' sake.'  " 

We  are  glad  for  a  chance  to  explain  to  a  really 
perplexed  sister  who  says: 

"I  filled  the  first  letter,  as  requested,  and  also 
managed  to  struggle  through  a  second  that  was  sent 
me,  though  you  know  how  busy  I  am.  But  what 
shall  I  do  with  this  third?" 

Do?  Balance  it  for  a  moment,  with  as  much 
consideration  as  you  can,  over  the  waste-basket, 
breathe  a  little  prayer  for  us — may  be  it  was  for  this 
that  the  unpleasant  reminder  was  allowed  to  come 
to  you — and  then  drop  it  in. 

"I  cannot  do  as  you  ordered — ". 

Did  we  "order?"  If  you  read  it  so,  the  written 
page  gives  the  lie  to  our  intention! 


134  Deaconesses. 

"I  have  figured  up.  and  you  must  already  have 
an  abundance  of  money  for  the*  house.  So  I  won't 
'send  any." 

No,  we  haven't.  The  dime  letters  have  been 
coming  in  for  some  months,  and  we  have  not  yet 
from  them  one-half  of  what  the  new  property  has 
actually  cost. 

'T  am  thankful  that  I  am  permitted  to  send  this 
ten  cents.  If  any  of  my  friends,  aside  from  the  above 
named,  become  interested  in  your  plan  and  wish  to 
send  their  dimes,  how  shall  I  proceed?'' 

Let  them  send  them,  by  all  means. 

"Find  enclosed  ten  cents  for  my  chain  letter. 
I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  making  my  circle  thirty, 
instead  of  three.  I  could  have  more,  if  I  only  had 
time  to  copy  them." 

That  is  the  kind  of  * 'liberty"  we  rather  enjoy 
having  people  take  with  us. 

"I  have  written  the  letters,  and  enclosed  I  send 
the  dime.     I  am  seventy-seven  years  old." 

God  bless  the  dear  mother-soul.  And  God  bless 
every  one  who  helps. 

But  the  *'  Dime  Letters  ''  are  bearing  richer  fruits 
than  dimes.  Witness  the  following — one  out  of 
many: 

**  Will  you  tell  more  about  the  work  to  one  who 
may  become  a  Deaconess?  Are  there  enough  now 
in  your  Home?  " 

No  we  never  have  enough  workers.  We  can- 
not supply  the  demand  for  nurses  in  the  homes  of 
the  sick  poor.  And  there  are  scores  of  single  blocks 
in  this  city  that  might  well  take  the  whole  time  of  a 
city  missionary. 


The  Peripatetic   Contribution   Box.  135 

"  I  have  been  many  times  impressed  since  my 
conversion  that  I  ought  to  engage  in  some  definite 
work  for  Christ.  When  do  you  receive  appHcations 
for  admission?  '' 

We  are  very  grateful  for  such  responses  as  these 
to  the  Dime  Letters.  May  be  some  of  our  irate 
friends  will  balance  them  up  against  the  extra  post- 
age stamps  they  are  bewailing  so  vigorously. 

But  enough.  May  God  forgive,  and  will  our 
friends  overlook,  the  unintentional  trouble  our  letters 
may  have  caused;  and  God  be  praised  and  the 
friends  remembered  in  grateful  prayer  for  all  the 
help  they  have  brought  in  our  sore  need. 

Some  very  pathetic  instances  have  occurred. 
One  letter  was  returned  to  us  with  a  note  added  by 
the  hand  of  a  friend  saying,  **This  was  the  last  work 
our  dear  sister  ever  did.  She  died  very  suddenly 
just  after  finishing  the  letters."  Another  wrote, 
"Your  letter  was  received  while  my  only  son  lay 
dead  in  the  house.  This  will  explain  the  delay  in 
the  answer.  I  am  glad  to  do  this  for  Jesus'  sake, 
even  in  the  midst  of  my  affliction." 

Many  invalids'  rooms  were  visited  by  the  letters. 
Many  of  them  responded  if  not  with  exactly  what 
we  asked,  yet  with  their  best  gifts,  gifts  of  prayer, 
or  in  some  instances  of  money,  or  in  others  of 
friendly  talk,  which  interested  others  in  the  work, 
and  did  more  than  the  letters  asked. 

The  criticism  which,  above   all  others,  we    most 


136  Deaconesses. 

keenly  felt,  was  that  of  a  dear  sister  who  character- 
ized the  dime  letters  as  one  of  the  questionable 
methods  resorted  to  by  worldly  christians  to  raise 
money.  The  suggestion  was  an  absolutely  new  one 
to  us,  as  we  had  never  for  one  moment  connected  it 
with  grab-bags,  and  church  lotteries.  The  letters  had 
been  held  up  to  God  for  his  blessing  for  days  before 
they  were  started,  and  that  they  could  be  offensive  to 
the  most  tender  conscience  had  never  entered  our 
minds.  Another  objector,  this  time  a  great  and  wise 
man,  pronounced  the  scheme  "not  immoral,"  but  at 
the  same  time  so  decidedly  ''dark"  that  in  his  opinion 
every  reputable  enterprise  having  anything  to  do 
with  it  had  better  stop  the  letters  at  once.  This 
criticism  was  also  a  great  surprise  to  us.  Whatever 
these  letters  might  be,  it  certainly  seemed  to  us  they 
were  not  "dark,"  and  as  to  stopping  them,  the  thing 
was  an  absolute  impossibilty,  even  if  we  had 
wished  to  do  so.  Never  was  such  an  illustration  of 
influence  once  gone  out,  never  to  be  retaken,  as 
these  letters  of  ours.  If  every  paper  in  the  United 
States  had  been  helping  us  call  them  in,  we  could 
not  have  stopped  them,  for  they  had  gone  on 
lines  of  personal  friendship  to  the  most  remote 
corners,  places  where  even  newspapers  are  never 
read.  So,  though  it  gave  us  pain  to  even  think  that 
the  work  of  the  Home  might  have  a  shadow  cast 
upon   it  in  the  minds  of  any  by   the   plan,  yet  we 


The  Peripapetic  Contribution  Box.         137 

thanked  God  for  the  good  results,  and  for  the  mul- 
titude of  people  not  only  writing  us,  but  actually 
testifying  to  be  greatly  helped  themselves  by  the 
work  of  writing  and  helping. 

A  very  unexpected    result  of  the  dime   letters 
was  a  series  of  interviews  by   newspaper  reporters. 
These  gentlemen — for  all  who  visited  us  were  very 
gentlemanly — came  to  us,  usually  with  the  copies  of 
the  letter  in  their  hands,  sent  by  correspondents  who 
wished  to  know  about  the  work.      We  took  great 
pleasure  in  giving  them  the  information  they  desired, 
and  the  result  was  columns  of  splendid  advertising 
in  our  city  papers.      Gifts  began  to  come  in  at  the 
door,  not  only  of  fruit  and  delicacies,  for  the  sick, 
but  also  of  money.      A  gentleman  called  one  even- 
ing in  great  haste,  and  stated  very  abruptly  that  he 
wished  to  write  a  check  for  the  institution  that  had 
been  described  in  the   Tribune  of  the  week  before. 
"Will  you  not  leave  me  your  name?  We  like  to  know 
the  names  of  our  friends  and  patrons,"  said  the  lady 
who  admitted  him.     *T  write  my  name  every  time 
I  write  a  check  "  said  the  gentleman  almost  roughly. 
"  But  I  mean  your  address,"  was  the  embarrassed 
reply.      'No   indeed,,  I   do   not   want  any    crowing 
over  what  /give,"  was  the  still  more  abrupt  response. 
But  a  second  thought  seemed  to  strike  him   as    he 
was  taking  a  rapid  leave,  and  he  thrust  his  card  into 
the  lady's  hands,  saying  more  gently,  "Well  perhaps 


138  Deaconesses. 

it  would  put  the  idea  of  giving  into  the  head  of  some 
one  else." 

Two  letters  come  to  hand,  one  directly  following 
the  other,  the  very  day  these  lines  are  being  written. 
We  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  contrast  them, 
by  extracts: 

"  We  hesitate  to  condemn  this  latest /<^</,  but  here 
are  the  reasons  why  we  must:  ist.  If  successful,  too 
much  money  will  be  raised" —  [Too  much  money 
for  the  herculean  task  of  the  redemption  of  our  cities 
with  their  millions  of  lost  souls!  God  hasten  the 
day  of  such  embarrassment!]  ''2nd.  It  will  not 
succeed."  [Ah,  my  friend,  but  our  letters  have 
succeeded!] 

The  other  letter  begins: 

"  I  am  fortunate  enough  to  have  received  two 
copies  of  the  letter,  and  take  delight  in  complying 
with  your  request  and  writing  the  six  letters. " 

There  are  dime  letters  and  dime  letters.  Onrs  are 
not  open  to  the  objections  urged  against  some,  we 
think;  and  against  ours  there  is  no  more  opposition 
than  there  was  at  one  time  against  contribution 
boxes  in  our  churches.  Yet  these  have  won  their 
way  to  the  favor  of  all,  and  who  knows  but  this,  oti^r 
peripatetic  contribution  box,  may  yet  subdue  all  its 
enemies  before  it! 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   DO-WITHOUT    BAND. 

Some  time  in  May,  1888,  the  idea  came  to  us 
that  if  there  could  only  be  some  organized  system 
of  self-denial  for  Jesus'  sake  among  Christians,  the 
result  would  be  surprising.  And  with  the  thought 
came  a  great  desire  that  such  an  organization  might 
be  formed  to  help  on  the  self-denying  work  of  the 
Deaconesses. 

Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the  rule  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  "If  any  man  will  follow  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,"  is  largely  ignored. 

"What  can  I  do  more"  many  a  Christian  says. 
"There  is  our  Missionary  Society,  and  our  Temper- 
ance Society,  and  our  regular  church  work — and 
one  must  take  time  for  home  duties."  But  suppose 
the  Master  should  visit  us,  should  walk  through  our 
homes — should  notice  our  manner  of  living,  our 
dress,  our  household  expenses,  our  luxuries — and 
should  turn  and  ask  our  hearts  the  question:  "Could 
you  not  do  without  more  for  my  sake?" 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Dix,  of  New  York,  once  made  a 
startling  calculation  as  to  the  money  that  could  be 
saved  by  Christian  ladies,  if  they  would  only  sacri- 


140  Deaconesses. 

fice  one  button  of  their  gloves.  We  had  no  dis- 
position to  enter  into  details  quite  to  this  extent, 
but  we  did  earnestly  desire  to  suggest  to  people  the 
possibilities  of  Christian  benevolence  along  this 
line.  How  easily  a  Deaconess  Home  family  of  a 
hundred  could  be  supported  if  a  very  small  part  of 
the  Christian  women  of  the  land  would  systemat- 
ically economize  even  a  very  little?  And  what  a  bless- 
ing it  would  be  to  the  economizers!  How  hard  it 
is  for  us  to  believe — yet  how  true  it  is — what  Jesus 
said  about  the  givers  getting  a  greater  blessing  than 
the  receivers. 

The  germ  of  the  plan  once  being  conceived,  it 
was,  as  usual,  discussed  through  our  home,  and  sug- 
gestions came  in  from  all  sources.  The  final  result 
was  the  organization  of  the  "Do-without  Band." 

The  Band,  it  was  decided,  should  have  no  mem- 
bership fee;  and  any  one,  informally  taking  the  simple 
pledge:  "I  will  look  about  for  opportunities  to  do 
without  for  Jesus  sake,"  should  be  a  member.  A 
single,  isolated  person  might  be  a  member,  though 
each  person  would  naturally  interest  others.  In 
case  there  was  but  one  member,  there  would  be  no 
officers,  or  rather  all  the  officers  would  be  concen- 
trated in  one;  but  for  help  in  Sunday-school  classes, 
etc.,  a  simple  form  of  constitution  was  given.*    The 

*This  form  of  Constitution,  with  leaflets  and  full  information,  will  be  sent  upon 
application  to  the  National  Secretary,  Mrs.  Christine  B.  Dickinson,  114  Dear- 
born Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 


The  Do  -  Without  Band.  141 

Motto  chosen  was  that  which  has  since  been  adopted 
as  the  general  motto  of  the  Deaconesses  themselves: 
'' For  Jesus'  Sake.''  After  days  of  experimenting, 
interviewing  artists  for  design,  and  workmen  for  a 
price  that  we  could  feel  justified  in  assuming,  we 
decided  upon  the  monogram  of  the  motto:  "F.  J. 
S.  "  for  our  badge. 

The  plan  being  thus  matured,  we  published  it 
in  our  convenient  little  "organ,"  TJie  Message.  The 
result  far  exceeded  our  hopes.  The  badges  were 
immediately  called  for  in  large  numbers,  the  very 
first  being  desired  by  the  members  of  the  school 
and  home.  Mr.  Meyer  and  myself  joined  the  Band 
of  course,  and  within  a  few  days  we  found  an  op- 
portunity foi  self-denial.  That  immense  luxury,  a 
five-cent  glass  of  soda  water,  was  given  up  for  the 
benefit  of  the  fund.  But  a  practical  difficulty  now 
arose;  how  to  remember  to  properly  dispose  of 
the  money  saved.  Those  two  wicked  five-cent 
pieces  continued  to  repose  in  peace  at  the  bottom 
of  my  purse,  and  only  by  a  real  effort  of  memory 
were  they  finally  applied  to  the  Cause.  But  if  we, 
living  right  at  the  center  of  things,  had  this  diffi- 
culty, how  much  more  must  it  trouble  others?  The 
result  was  the  evolution  of  the  "Handy  Envelope," 
a  mite-box  in  envelope  shape,  with  an  eyelet 
through  the  upper  part  for  its  convenient  hanging 
on  a  nail,  and  just  below,  an  inviting  slit  for   coins 


142  Deaconesses. 

or  carefully  folded  bills.  These  envelopes  were  dis- 
tributed without  cost  to  anyone  who  would  take 
them.     They  were  like  this,  only  a  little  larger: 


"iP    ANY     MAN        ^>^        WILL    FOLLOW    IV1  Ej 
LBT     HIM  \_J  DENY     HIMSELF." 

HANDY  ENVELOPE  FOR 


(slit  for  money. 


"0®  Wilhsufe"  M®RGY, 


TO    BE    USED    FOR   THE    DEACONESS   WORK 

IN  Chicago. 
Office,  114  Dearborn  Avenue,  Chicago. 


\  will  lool^  about — 

\XX  ^Y  purcl^ascs, 
I15  rQY  t?oi^<2  affaii^s, 
IX^  ix^Y  arguserQei^ts, 
Jr^  10QY  luxuries  — 

Por  oppoi^tur^ities  to  "Po  Witljout" 

Fop  Jesus'  Sake. 


I   WOULD   RATHER    MY   MONEY   SHOULD   GO  TO  WIN   A  SOUL 

FOR  Christ,  than  to  purchase  a  pas- 
sing PLEASURE  FOR  MYSELF 


It  was  not  long  before  the  returns  began  to  come, 
in  letters,  many  of  which  gave  incidents  concerning 
the  doing  without  of  the   members.     Some  of  these 


The  Do -Without  Bajid.  143 

incidents  were  most  interesting.  One  little  girl  re- 
turned her  envelope  with  the  penciled  note,  "I  have 
asked  God  every  day  for  two  months,  to  show  me 
what  to  do  without.  I  found  nothing  but  this,  but 
God  made  this  very  plain."  The  envelope  con- 
tained only  a  single  five-cent  piece.  The  child  evi- 
dently had  very  little  money,  but  when  we  remem- 
bered that  every  day  for  two  months  she  had  prayed 
about  the  matter,  the  dull  coin  gathered  brightest 
luster.  We  are  sure  it  was  as  most  precious  gold,  in 
God's  sight.  One  of  our  own  students  out  in  the 
field  sent  for  a  badge  at  once,  writing:  "I  have 
decided  to  do  without  a  new  hat,  and  take  a  badge 
instead.  Please  find  five  dollars."  This  dear  girl 
did  not  have  much  money;  she  had  largely  worked 
her  way  through  the  school  by  extra  hours  of  house- 
work. A  lady  wrote:  "I  find  that  a  five  dollar 
gold  piece  slips  into  my  'Do-without  Envelope' 
beautifully,  and  a  picture  I  had  planned  to  frame 
has  a  brighter  halo  around  it  than  any  frame  could 
give.''  Another  lady  in  far  off  Dakota,  after  months 
of  self-denial  sent  a  whole  dollar,  writing:  "Ten 
cents  of  it  is  from  my  little  boy — his  whole  allow- 
ance for  fire-crackers  last  Fourth  of  July."  A  lady 
in  Iowa  wrote  how  her  dying  sister  requested  that 
no  money  be  spent  for  mourning  veils  for  her,  saying, 
"It  is  not  a  time  to  mourn,  but  to  rejoice."  So  she 
sent  us  the  five   dollars  that   would  otherwise   have 


144  Deaconesses. 

gone  for  a  veil.  An  Indiana  lady  wrote:  "The 
greatest  self-denial  I  know  of  is  to  deny  myself  the 
pleasure  of  giving,  but  I  have  found  some  money 
for  my  Do-without  Envelope  from  my  precious  keep- 
sakes. You  will  find  in  it  a  silver  quarter,  that  was 
found  in  father's  pocket  after  he  went  to  heaven. 
There  is  a  little  three-cent  scrip,  which  he  gave  me 
the  evening  before  he  was  taken  ill,  with  the  words: 
'Why  certainly,  Fanny,  did  I  ever  refuse  you  any- 
thing that  I  could  give  you?'  I  think  this  is  the 
most  precious  thing  I  can  give.''  Another  one  of 
^these  long  cherished  keep-sakes,  a  three  dollar  gold 
piece,  came  with  these  words:  "I  have  kept  this 
six  years  for  the  sake  of  a  loved  one.  I  give  it 
now  for  Jesus'  sake.''  Another  lady  sent  a  ring,  a 
part  of  her  heart  came  with  it.  Many  rings  and 
precious  things  have  been  built  into  the  brick  walls 
of  our  Home,  or  transmuted  into  the  finer  gold  of 
our  work  for  God. 

Many  Sunday  school  teachers  interested  their 
classes  in  the  matter,  forming  them  into  little  bands. 
One  such  teacher  writes:  "My  Sunday  School  class 
have  been  doing  without  for  your  work.  They 
have  denied  themselves  candy,  peanuts,  campaign 
badges,  etc.  Some  could  only  bring  a  penny;  others 
more;  but  all  wanted  to  do  something  "For  Jesus 
sake. " 

We  received  these  gifts  sometimes  with    smiles 


The  Do -Without  Band.  145 

and  sometimes  witxi  tears,  and  sometimes  with 
something  very  like  compunction  that  we  had  been 
the  means  of  what  seemed  almost  too  great  self-de- 
nial; but  we  remembered  that  it  was  ''For  Jesus' 
Sake,^'  and  that  he  himself  had  said,  "It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,"  and  so  we  comfor- 
ted ourselves  by  believing  that  every  one  of  God's 
children  who  have  thus  denied  themselves  for  Jesus' 
sake  will  be  rewarded  a  hundred  fold.  Miss  Tho- 
burn  said,  about  a  dear  girl  who  gave  up  her  second 
summer  dress  and  sent  the  whole  price  of  it — one 
dollar  and  twenty  five  cents — to  the  do-without  fund : 
"Such  gifts  are  always  rewarded,  and  rewarded  a  hun- 
dred times  over,  if  not  always  in  the  same  coin.  One 
hundred  summer  dresses  would  be  inconvenient,  but 
God  will  give  the  fine  gold  of  peace  and  love  to 
every  self  denying  soul."  The  Band  at  present  num- 
bers many  thousands.  The  silver  cross  of  the 
"  Kings'  Daughters"  symbolizes  the  doing  something, 
—  whatever  the  hand  may  find  to  do — for  the  Master. 
We  trust  the  time  will  come  when  our  own  lovely 
badge,  "F.  J.  S." — For  Jesus'  Sake" — will  be  as 
widely  scattered,  for  all  who  are  doing  something 
for  Jesus'  3ake,  might  surely  do  witJioiit  something 
also,  for  His  dear  sake;  and  what  more  fitting  or 
more  beautiful  than  that  the  support  of  the  Deacon- 
esses, who  do  without  so  many  things  that  the  world 
counts  dear,  in  giving  their  whole  lives   to  Christ's 


146  Deaconesses. 

work,  should  be  assumed  by  a  band  of  Christians 
who  in  their  own  homes  do  without  something,  and 
thus  become  real  Associate  Members,  having  the 
same  precious  motto,  "For  Jesus'  Sake,"  and  doing, 
by  their  money,  the  same  blessed  work  as  that 
of  these  devoted  women. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TO   THE   PRESENT   DAY. 

The  work  of  the  second  summer,  1888,  at  our 
Home,  was  in  detail  much  like  that  of  the  first. 
We  again  occupied  the  convenient  Training  School 
building  while  the  students  were  away  for  vacation. 
The  presence  of  a  number  of  Nurse  Deaconesses, 
added  largely  to  our  efficiency.  Our  workers 
were  spared  one  by  one,  a  few  days  or  weeks  at  a 
time  for  a  short  vacation,  often  so  sorely  needed, 
but  there  was  no  general  vacation  of  the  workers  in 
a  body.  We  never  expect  to  take  such,  until  our 
foes,  sin  and  suffering,  adopt  vacation  times  also. 

With  the  coming  of  the  Fall,  came  reinforce- 
ments. We  moved  gratefully  into  "  Smith  Annex," 
the  addition  erected  in  the  Summer  for  us.  Our 
family  grew  until  we  numbered  seventeen.  A 
trained  nurse  came,  volunteering  her  services  in 
assisting  the  practical  work  of  our  embryo  nurses. 
Regular  assistants  also  came  to  help  Mrs.  Dickin- 
son in  the  office  work  which  had  grown  far  too 
heavy  for  one  pair  of  hands,  however  willing. 

It  was  now  high  time  to  give  serious  attention 
to    the  uniform    the    Deaconesses   should    wear — a 


148  Deaconesses. 

matter  seemingly  very  trivial,  but  occupying  much 
time,  and  causing  much  thought  in  its  settlement* 
The  Board  decided  that  a  uniform  would  be  desir- 
able for  many  reasons.  It  would  be  a  distinctive 
sign;  giving  its  wearers  the  protection  which  is  so 
well  known  to  be  extended  to  the  Romish  Sisters  of 
Charity.  Again  no  other  dress  could  possibly  be 
so  economical;  both  as  to  money,  and  that  which  is 
worth  more  than  money,  time  and  thought.  It 
would  also  promote  sisterly  equality  among  the 
workers,  and  prevent  possible  pain  on  the  part  of 
those  who  were  poor.  Last  of  all  it  would  be  a 
badge  of  sisterly  union,  like  the  blue  coat  of  the 
soldier,  serving  to  bind  the  members  of  the  Order 
together,  however  widely  they  might  be  scattered. 
But  details  were  much  harder  to  manage.  One  thing 
we  were  very  decided  about;  it  should  be  Protes- 
tant, not  Romish  in  character.  There  should  be  no 
enshrouding  veils,  and  the  hair  should  not  be  cut, 
nor  covered  with  white  bands.  But  should  the 
dress  be  black,  or  brown,  or  green,  or  blue  or  grey? 
All  these  colors  were  seriously  discussed.  Committees 
were  appointed,  and  grave  Boards  sat  on  the  ques- 
tion. We  settled  finally  on  dark  grey  or  black  for  the 
dress,  with  black  for  out-door  garments.  Then  how 
should  it  be  made?  I  called  the  members  of  the 
Home  about  me,  and  many  were  the  discussions  we 
held  over  the  matter.     We    verified  the  old  saying, 


To  the  Present  Day.  149 

that  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  please  every  one. 
Finally  I  submitted,  as  gracefully  as  possible,  to 
making  myself  a  dummy  for  the  time  being,  and  two 
dresses  at  least  were  made  and  fitted  to  me,  that  I 
might  be  looked  over  and  commented  upon  by  the 
Deaconesses  and  the  family  in  general.  It  seems  very 
funny  in  looking  back  upon  it,  but  it  was  exceed- 
ingly trying  as  an  actual  occurrence.  What  the 
Chicago  Deaconesses  finally  decided  upon  may  be 
gathered  from  the  illustration  in  the  front  of  this 
book.  It  may  be  modified  in  the  future,  but  all 
agree  that  a  common  uniform  for  Deaconesses 
throughout  the  whole  United  States  is  desirable; 
and  the  uniform  adopted  in  Chicago  has,  probably, 
the  general  features  of  the  permanent  one.  As 
to  the  hair,  we  never  had  very  much  discussion 
over  that,  but  easily  agreed  upon  the  two  little 
words,  "  Hair  plain,  "  with  the  understanding  that  the 
phrase  meant,  dressed  with  no  artificial  means.  No 
jewelry  was  allowed  except  a  collar-pin,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  in  many  sections  of  the  city  where  the 
Deaconesses  would  work,  jewelry,  even  the  simplest 
watch  guard,  could  not  be  worn  with  safety.  The 
members  of  the  Home  adopted  the  uniform  with 
good  grace,  burying  their  personal  feelings  if  they 
had  any,  in  what  they  agreed  with  us  was  for  the 
best  interest  of  the  work. 

The  Training  School  for  Nurses  was  now  regularly 


150  Deaconesses. 

organized,  the  course  of  theoretical  medical  in- 
struction given  to  the  students  in  the  Missionary- 
Training  School  being  exactly  what  we  needed  in 
theory,  and  the  practice  to  be  supplied  at  the  bed- 
side of  the  sick  poor  in  their  own  homes,  and  at 
Wesley  Hospital,  soon  to  be  established. 

The  demand  for  trained  nurses  to  care  for  the 
sick  poor  in  their  own  homes,  is  very  urgent  in  all 
our  cities.  Our  hospitals  are  the  glory  of  our 
christian  civilization,  but  in  thousand  of  cases  it  is 
impossible  for  the  sick  to  go  to  the  hospitals.  The 
attack  may  be  so  sudden  that  they  cannot  be 
moved,  or  the  disease  may  be  contagious,  in  which 
ease  they  can  rarely  be  admitted.  How  does  it 
happen  that  this  department  of  philanthropic  work — 
caring  for  the  sick  poor  in  their  own  homes — has 
been  so  neglected?  The  appeals  that  come  to  the 
Chicago  Home  in  this  direction  are  many  more  than 
we  can  possibly  respond  to.  The  very  afternoon 
these  words  are  being  penned,  two  cases  more  than 
we  can  well  care  for  have  been  reported;  one,  where 
two  women  are  lying  helpless,  dangerously  sick,  with 
only  a  child  six  years  old  to  care  for  them,  and  their 
supplies  of  food  and  fuel  exhausted,  except  for  a 
little  help  obtained  from  a  charitable  fund:  the  other, 
where  two  children  are  sick,  the  mother  dropping 
from  exhaustion,  the  fire  gone  out  in  the  stove  for 
lack  of  fuel,  and    absolutely  nothing  to  eat  in   the 


To  the  Present  Day.  151 

house.  In  the  latter  case,  money  has  been  sent  to 
reHeye  immediate  distress,  but  we  cannot  in  all  cases 
send  the  nurses,  we  do  not  have  them  to  send. 
Consecrated  money  is  hard  enough  to  find,  but  it  is 
harder  still  to  find  consecrated  flesh  and  blood,  and 
the  next  great  need  before  the  church  in  the  line  of 
Deaconess'  work,  is  to  find  this  consecrated  flesh  and 
blood.  We  could  use  a  score  of  strong,  earnest 
Christian  women  at  once.  And  if  the  objection  arise 
in  the  mind  of  any,  "I  could  not  do  the  work,  I  am 
not  trained,"  the  reply  is:  That  is  just  what  our 
Deaconess  Nursing  School  is  organized  for,  to  give 
the  training  needful  for  the  work.  It  requires  two 
years  to  take  this  training,  but  the  expense  of  the 
course  is  provided  for,  in  case  applicants  are  not 
able  to  meet  it. 

Some  of  the  incidents  that  occurred  about  this 
time,  were  very  touching.  We  were  sending 
workers  to  the  Jewish  Mission,  and  the  Sunday 
School  and  the  Industrial  School  increased  rapidly 
in  numbers,  but  the  children  were  often  subjected  to 
fierce  persecution  for  their  interest  in  Christianity. 
They  were  whipped  for  attending  the  Sunday 
school  and  learning  about  "The  Apostate,"  and 
forbidden  even  to  sing  "The  Jesus  songs,"  or  think 
about  Jesus;  the  poor  blinded  mothers  explaining  to 
our  visitors  that  Jesus  was  a  bad  man,  a  deceiver, 
and  if  they  allowed  their  children  to  learn  about  him, 


152  Deacofiesses. 

» 
their  ''blood  would  be  upon  their    heads  " — the  old 

scriptural  phrase  so  strangely  perverted! 

The  Missionary  Deaconesses  organized  prayer 
and  cottage-meetings  wherever  possible,  and  in  this 
way  endeavored  to  gather  up  the  fruit  of  their  house 
to  house  visitation. 

Our  Nurse  Deaconesses  were  also  greatly  blessed 
in  their  work.  One  of  them  was  called  out,  one  Sun- 
day evening,  to  a  friendless  and  lonely  woman,  not 
supposed  to  be  very  sick.  She  cared  for  the  suffer- 
ing body,  and  spoke  of  the  heavenly  home  to  the 
homeless  creature.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  the 
woman  died  before  morning.  A  few  days  after,  a 
lady  stepped  from  a  carriage  at  our  door,  and  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  handed  us  an  envelope  containing 
a  considerable  sum  of  money.  *Tt  is  in  partial 
recognition,"  she  said,   **of  the  service   one  of  your 

nurses    rendered  to   Mrs. ,  who   had   been    my 

dressmaker  for  many  years.  I  did  not  know  of  her 
terrible  sickness,  and  but  for  your  help  she  would 
have  died  alone." 

Another  case  was  that  of  a  poor  woman,  deserted 
by  her  husband,  and  with  two  little  children  to  sup- 
port. Her  disease  was  typhoid  fever.  We  sent  two 
faithful  women,  one  by  night  and  one  by  day,  but 
their  efforts  were  in  vain,  in  about  a  week  the  poor 
woman  died.  Her  children  were  sent  to  country 
homes.     The   only  drink   this  poor  woman   could 


To  the  Present  Day.  153 

take,  some  days,  was  a  little  sweetened  tea.  Her 
sugar  was  soon  all  gone,  and  but  for  a  little  carried 
from  our  table,  she  would  have  been  denied  even 
this  small  luxury.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  no  fund 
or  other  means  of  supplying  these  little  necessities 
of  our  poor  and  sick,  but  within  a  day  or  two  the 
Lord  sent  us  a  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  from 
two  business  men,  for  an  Emergency  Fund.  It 
reminded  us  of  what  Jesus  said,  "Give  and  it  shall 
be  given  unto  you;  good  measure  shall  men  give 
into  your  bosom  " — to  say  nothing  of  God's  reward- 
ing. 

The  Fall  has  brought  us  reinforcements,  but 
now  came  losses. 

A  great  cry  came  to  us  in  the  summer  of  1888, 
from  New  Orleans,  with  its  multitude  of  ignorant 
colored  people,  and  its  still  more  neglected  masses 
of  foreigners;  Italians  and  French.  We  could  not 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  it,  so  a  Branch  Home  was  estab- 
lished in  that  city,  with  three  of  our  tried  workers 
who  volunteered  for  the  service.*  The  field  before 
them  is  very  great.  The  work  is  something  of  an 
experiment  as  yet,  but  great  interest  has  developed, 
both  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  people  of  the  city, 
and  of  the  Deaconesses,  and  it  is  certain  that  it  will 
continue.  This  Home  has  thus  far  been  supported 
from  Chicago,  bearing  to  our  Home  the  same  rela- 
tion that  the  "Affiliated  Houses  "  do  to  the  German 


154  Deaco  n  esses . 

"Mother-House."  Miss  Thoburn  was  next  called 
to  Cincinnati,  to  take  charge  of  the  Elizabeth 
Gamble  Deaconess  Home,  estabHshed  in  that  city 
by  the  munificence  of  the  husband  of  the  sainted 
woman,  whose  name  it  bears.  This  home  now  has 
eight  or  ten  inmates,  and  under  Miss  Thoburn's 
careful  leadership,  has  a  good  future  before  it.  We 
were  sad  to  part  with  our  dear  ones,  but  they  are 
ours  still,  only  at  work  in  another  field.  So  we 
bravely  sang  "Praise  God,"  and  bade  them  God 
speed. 

,  The  Rock  River  Conference,  at  their  session  Sept., 
1888,'  congratulated  themselves  in  dignified  Confer- 
ence fashion,  both  upon  the  recognition  given  Dea- 
conesses by  the  General  Conference,  and  upon  the 
fact  that,  "within  its  bounds  a  Deaconess'  Home 
had  been  in  existence  almost  a  year  before  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  action."  It  then  proceeded  wisely 
to  appoint  the  Deaconess  "  Board  of  Nine  "  pro- 
vided for  by  the  General  Conference.  This  Board 
held  meetings  full  of  work  at  the  Training  School 
building,  and  decided  upon  a  two  year's  course  of 
study  and  practical  training;  determining  that  as 
far  as  its  influence  might  go,  the  Order  of  Deaconesses 
should  not  fail  in  dignity  and  efficiency  for  lack  of 
full  preparation.  "Should  not  Deaconesses  be  the 
counterpart  of  Deacons  in  the  church?"  they  very 
pertinently  asked,  "and  if  our  men  require  years  of 


To  the  Present  Day.  165 

training  and  preparation  for  their  work,  do  not  our 
women  require  years  of  study  and  preparation  for 
theirs,  even  if  there  be  a  difference  in  that  work?"  But 
for  fear  this  course  of  study  might  deter  any  from 
entering  the  work  for  lack  of  means,  they  concluded 
their  action  with  the  beneficent  resolution: 

Resolved: 

That  we  most  earnestly  urge  that  all  applicants 
for  Deaconess'  license  take  the  first  year's  training  at 
the  Chicago  Training  School  for  Missionaries  and 
Nurses  whenever  possible. 

That  the  Committee  will  use  its  intiu  ence,  so  far 
as  practicable,  to  secure  financial  aid  for  approved 
candidates  who  are  unable  otherwise  to  take  the 
course  at  the  Training  School. 

In  view  of  the  great  importance  of  securing  uni- 
formity of  plan  and  action  in  the  rapidly  develop- 
ing Deaconess'  movement,  a  National  Conference 
was  called  Dec.  20,  1888,  at  the  Chicago  Home. 
At  this  Conference,  the  Homes  in  New  York,  Cin- 
cinnati, Detroit  and  Chicago  were  represented.  A 
form  of  constitution  was  accepted,  which  it  was 
earnestly  recommended  be  adopted  in  all  the  Homes, 
and  the  two  years  course  of  study  previously  out- 
lined by  the  Rock  River  Conference  "Board  of  Dea- 
conesses," was  accepted  with  slight  modifications  for 
all  the  Conferences.  The  importance  of  this  Confer- 
ence can  hardly  be  over  estimated.  The  work  of 
the   Order  would  have  lost   much  of  its    efficiency 


156  Deaconesses. 

without  this  full  organization  on  a  similar  plan  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Frequent  Conferences  will 
doubtless  be  held  for  the  better  development  of  the 
plan. 

In  anticipation  of  the  action  taken  by  the  man- 
agers of  Wesley  Hospital  in  renting  a  house  for  the 
temporary  accommodation  of  its  patients,  we  ad- 
mitted three  sick  women  to  our  building,  about  the 
first  of  January,  1889.  We  thought  the  house  was 
full  before,  but  we  found  a  room  left  temporarily 
vacant  by  an  outgoing  student  for  the  first,  the 
second  occupied  the  room  of  an  accommodating 
nurse,  and  the  third  and  last,  was  at  first  stored  away 
in  a  little  room  under  the  stairs  in  the  basement,  but 
was  later  moved  to  the  sewing  room.  A  vacant 
house  near  the  school  building  is  now  rented  for  the 
Hospital,  and  is  being  fitted  up  by  an  energetic 
Executive  Committee  for  immediate  occupancy. 
Before  the  printer's  ink  is  dry  on  these  pages,  our 
patients  will  have  been  moved  to  their  new  home, 
and  Wesley  Hospital  will  have  fairly  entered  upon 
its  beneficial  career. 

Almost  from  the  first  days  of  the  school  a  hos- 
pital had  been  one  of  our  aspirations.  Not  to  speak 
of  the  primary  object  of  the  establishment  of  this 
Christian  hospital — to  carry  on  the  gracious  work  of 
alleviating  physical  suffering — it  incidentally  serves 
an  important  end  in   connection   with  our  Nurses' 


To  the  Present  Day.  157 

Training  School.  Without  it,  the  practical  part  of 
the  nurses'  training  would  have  been  pursued  under 
the  greatest  difficulties. 

The  first  money  contribution  ever  made  toward 
the  Deaconess  Home  building,  was  a  small  sum 
handed  Mr.  Meyer  in  the  spring  of  1887,  by  a  lady 
who  afterwards  became  a  faithful  and  valuable  mem- 
ber of  the  Home.  The  whole  subject  of  Deaconess 
work  was  at  that  time  in  a  very  nebulous  condition, 
but  Mr.  Meyer  kept  the  money  sacredly  until  there 
was  a  building  toward  which  it  could  be  applied. 
So  the  first  money  contribution  toward  Wesley 
Hospital,  came  in  a  letter  from  a  distant  friend  in 
the  spring  of  1888  to  the  same  keeper,  who  re- 
ceived this  gift,  also,  in  faith  that  the  time  would  come 
when  it  could  be  applied  to  the  purpose  designated. 

The  School,  Home,  and  Hospital,  are  all  man- 
aged by  separate  and  independent  legal  bodies,  but 
many  of  the  same  persons  are  found  in  each,  and 
the  three  institutions  are  joined  by  strong  bonds 
of  necessity  and  affinity.  Some  plants  propagate 
from  the  root.  Vigorous  shoots  appear  above 
ground,  seemingly  quite  separate,  but  a  closer  ex- 
amination reveals  a  hidden  connection.  So,  the 
three  institutions,  School,  Home  and  Hospital  have 
a  common  root. 

What  the  future  of  the  work  so  providential  in 
its  origin  shall  be,  is  only  known  to  the  One  who  is 


158  Deaconesses. 

the  "Finisher"  as  well  as  the  "Arthur"  of  our  faith. 
The  little  tree  has  already  developed  in  some  direc- 
tions little  thought  of  by  those  who  have  watched 
and  tended  its  growth.  Just  what  the  next  branch 
may  be,  or  when  it  may  shoot  forth,  we  are  not  care- 
ful to  know.  Our  only  concern  is  that  by  no  fault 
of  ours  its  nourishment  be  cut  off,  or  the  ground 
around  it  be  not  properly  tilled.  The  Gardener  who 
watches  tenderly  over  his  tens  of  millions  of  real 
trees,  growing  in  His  mountain  and  forest  gardens, 
"opening  His  hand  and  satisfying  them  all  with 
good"  as  they  need,  can  be  trusted  to  care  for 
this,  His  little  tree  in  another  garden.  Man's  enter- 
prises sometimes  fail  but  "the  trees  of  the  Lord  are 
full  of  sap." 


1012  01233  9240 


DATE  DUE 

<iGmm^ 

^ 

y^  ..ii rr 

^ 

1            GAYLORO 

PRINTEDINU.S.A. 

